L'enquête a révélé que Botstein — qui affirmait ne pas être l'ami d'Epstein — a effectué 25 visites dans sa maison de ville. Leon Botstein a annoncé qu'il quittait la direction de Bard College, après qu'un examen indépendant de ses contacts avec Jeffrey Epstein a conclu que les interactions fréquentes du président de l'université avec le délinquant sexuel condamné « auraient pu l'alerter » sur la possibilité que lui et Bard facilitent les abus commis par Epstein envers des femmes. Une enquête du cabinet d'avocats WilmerHale, mandatée par le conseil d'administration de Bard plus tôt cette année pour examiner les interactions de Botstein avec Epstein, a révélé que le président de Bard — qui avait précédemment affirmé ne pas être l'ami d'Epstein — a effectué environ 25 visites dans la maison de ville d'Epstein, un séjour de deux jours sur Little St James Island, et qu'Epstein s'est rendu à deux reprises à Bard. Ces visites, selon WilmerHale, incluaient « plusieurs femmes » qui ont depuis été identifiées comme des victimes d'Epstein. Lire la suite...
Les démocrates avaient déposé une résolution d'outrage au civil contre l'ancienne procureure générale pour ne pas s'être présentée à sa déposition
Actualité politique américaine en direct – dernières mises à jour
La commission de surveillance et de réforme du gouvernement de la Chambre a déclaré que l'ancienne procureure générale Pam Bondi comparaîtra désormais devant le panel le 29 mai pour répondre aux questions sur la gestion par le Department of Justice de l'enquête Jeffrey Epstein et sur la publication des dossiers Epstein.
L'annonce de la date intervient peu après que les démocrates de la commission ont annoncé avoir déposé une résolution d'outrage au civil contre Bondi après qu'elle ne se soit pas présentée à sa déposition au début du mois.
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• Sky Roberts a déclaré que les survivants « se battent toujours pour être entendus » après que le roi, dont le frère Andrew a été accusé d'agression par Giuffre, n'a pas souhaité les rencontrer.
• Le frère de la défunte Virginia Giuffre a critiqué le Roi Charles III pour ne pas avoir rencontré les survivants des abus de Jeffrey Epstein lors de sa visite aux États-Unis cette semaine.
• « Les survivants sont ici, aux côtés de membres du Congrès, se battant toujours pour être entendus, poussant toujours pour une véritable responsabilisation, alors que bon nombre de figures puissantes liées à ces systèmes restent hors de portée, incapables de reconnaître les survivants face à face », a déclaré Sky Roberts, le frère de Giuffre. « On s'attendrait à ce que ce soit le moment pour le roi d'envoyer un message au monde own disant qu'il soutient les survivants. »
Lawsuit alleges DoJ breached transparency law by withholding records on Jeffrey Epstein and over-redacting disclosuresTodd Blanche, the acting attorney general, engaged in a “brazen, shocking, and ongoing violation” of a law requiring the justice department (DoJ) to release the entirety of the so-called Epstein files, a lawsuit filed in Washington DC alleges.The action on Monday by Katie Phang, an investigative journalist and legal analyst, seeks to hold Blanche personally responsible for the DoJ’s alleged failure to publish all the documents the government holds about Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender. A full release was mandated by a landmark transparency act passed by Congress in November, with a deadline of 19 December. Continue reading...
Philip Barton says there was pressure over pace of vetting from No 10, which he says was ‘uninterested’ in processUK politics live – latest updatesThe former Foreign Office chief has said he was concerned about Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffery Epstein – and said there was “absolutely” pressure from Downing Street over the pace of vetting.Giving evidence to the foreign affairs select committee, the former Foreign Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Barton said Number 10 seemed “uninterested” in the vetting process around Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, and said there were no avenues for him to express his concerns. Continue reading...
Police investigating allegations Mandelson and former prince Andrew passed sensitive info to Epstein will struggle to make charges stick without filesBritish police investigating the former prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson are preparing to start interviewing witnesses in Royal and government circles.It comes as police fear that prosecutors will be “reluctant” to bring charges unless the Trump administration agrees to hand over the original documents from the Epstein files. Continue reading...
Six women who stayed in flats in capital have since accused disgraced financier of sexually abusing them, says BBCJeffrey Epstein housed some of his alleged abuse victims in flats in London after police in the UK decided against investigating him, according to reports.The BBC said it had uncovered evidence of four flats in Kensington and Chelsea in receipts, emails and bank records contained within the Epstein files. Six women who stayed in the properties have since accused the late financier of sexually abusing them, the broadcaster said. Continue reading...
An internal watchdog will review the agency’s handling of records related to Jeffrey Epstein, including whether relevant documents were properly redactedSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA majority of Americans blame Donald Trump for surging gasoline prices, which is weighing on his Republican party ahead of November’s congressional midterm elections, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.Some 77% of registered voters in the poll, which concluded early this week, said Trump bears at least a fair amount of responsibility for the recent rise in gas prices, which was sparked by his decision to launch a war on Iran along with US ally Israel.Our preliminary objective is to evaluate the DOJ’s processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the Act.Alleged victims of sexual abuse by Epstein have complained that DOJ repeatedly failed to redact photos and other details that could reveal their identities and did not make public all the information prosecutors have about Epstein associates who were allegedly aware of his crimes or conspired with him but were never charged.Lawmakers have made similar complaints and have said they suspect DOJ has not released some relevant documents.The Trump administration has moved to reclassify marijuana, more than four months after Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to move it from schedule I to schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.Trump, apparently abandoning his attempt to frighten Iran’s leaders into negotiating by channeling Richard Nixon’s “madman” theory, ruled out the use of nuclear weapons in his conflict with Iran.Trump has decided to invite wanted war criminal Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in December at Trump’s Doral golf resort, the Washington Post reports.Trump confirmed that the government is considering a plan to bail out or ‘“just buy” Spirit Airlines, but confused Barack Obama with Joe Biden, and Jet Blue with People Express, which has been defunct since 1987.India’s foreign ministry denounced comments from the rightwing US commentator Michael Savage, posted on social media by Trump, which argued against awarding birthright citizenship to the US-born children of immigrants “from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet”. Continue reading...
Mandated release of files was marred by missed deadlines, leaked victims’ information and excessive redactionsUS politics live – latest updatesThe US Department of Justice’s office of the inspector general (OIG) announced on Thursday that it is launching an audit of the justice department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.In a news release, the deputy inspector general William M Blier, who the statement said is performing the duties of the inspector general, said that the “preliminary objective” of the internal probe “is to evaluate the [justice department’s] processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the Act”. Continue reading...
Non-appearance of Pam Bondi and remarks from Todd Blanche suggest full accounting may never be revealedIn the days since Pam Bondi’s exit from Donald Trump’s justice department, Jeffrey Epstein survivors and transparency advocates have been confronted by mixed messaging, prompting questions about whether a full accounting of his crimes would ever be revealed.Legal veterans told the Guardian that authorities’ decisions – such as Bondi’s failure to appear for a congressional subpoena about her handling of Epstein investigative files – portend poorly for accountability. Moreover, her replacement’s comments about the status of Epstein investigations has been perceived by some as an effort to acknowledge prior missteps without presenting definitive solutions. Continue reading...