Right now, children in the United States are being bought and sold for sex and labor.
While recent years have brought more awareness to this problem, putting an end to modern-day slavery takes action: protecting the vulnerable, prosecuting traffickers, helping survivors rebuild their lives, and coordinating these efforts across every level of government and society.
Fortunately, the Trump administration is advancing survivor-centered policies, strengthening enforcement, and holding traffickers accountable. But while these achievements illuminate the path forward, the fight is far from over.
CPAC&#8217;s 4th Annual Summit to Combat Human Trafficking focused on developing the strategic next steps needed to strengthen America&#8217;s fight against modern-day slavery. The summit brought together senior Trump administration officials, members of Congress, state leaders, law enforcement, and survivor advocates. The summit reinforced a simple truth: to win the battle against human trafficking, we need sustained partnerships, clear accountability, and measurable results.
Those partnerships are already producing meaningful progress.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed into law the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act — legislation the CPAC Center for Combating Human Trafficking has championed since its inception. For years, survivors who were forced into criminal activity by their traffickers carried criminal records that prevented them from securing housing, employment, and long-term stability even after escaping exploitation.
One survivor, Gina Cavallo, knows that reality firsthand. Although she was selected as a White House Champion of Change for her work helping communities recover after Hurricane Sandy, she was barred from the recognition ceremony after a background check revealed convictions from the period when she was being trafficked.
Those records have since been expunged. In July 2026, she returned to the White House for a human trafficking roundtable.
The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act gives more survivors the opportunity to seek expungement or sentence mitigation while continuing to cooperate with law enforcement. It offers survivors a genuine second chance while strengthening the prosecution of traffickers. The White House has also advanced the TAKE IT DOWN Act, strengthening protections against online sexual exploitation and helping ensure technology cannot be weaponized against children.
Combined with the designation of January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, these actions reflect a renewed emphasis on enforcement, prevention, and survivor-centered policy.
That commitment is already producing measurable enforcement results. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE Homeland Security Investigations arrested 905 suspected traffickers and rescued 180 victims, including 30 children. In April, the FBI&#8217;s Operation Iron Pursuit located more than 200 child victims and arrested more than 350 alleged predators in a single month. These operations build on a broader increase in trafficking investigations, arrests, and victim recoveries under the Trump administration.
This is a sharp contrast to the Biden administration, which released hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children into the country with no way to track them. The Department of Health and Human Services later disclosed a backlog of more than 7,300 reports of suspected human trafficking involving migrant children that were never investigated, along with tens of thousands of other concerning leads. Inadequate sponsor vetting placed children with dangerous individuals, contributing to documented cases of sexual abuse, labor exploitation, and other forms of abuse. Fragmented coordination and a failure to prioritize the most vulnerable left too many children at risk.
It&#8217;s good that the Trump administration has turned things around. But government cannot win this fight alone.
Lasting progress depends on strong public-private partnerships that bring together federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofits, faith communities, businesses, survivor leaders, and law enforcement.
That message echoed throughout this year&#8217;s summit. Participants agreed that states need greater resources, better training, and stronger policy tools to identify victims sooner, prosecute traffickers more effectively, and provide survivors with meaningful pathways to recovery and independence.
The fight against modern-day slavery is far from over. We will continue building on this momentum until every survivor has access to justice and every trafficker is held accountable. The next phase of this fight will be defined by expanding partnerships, equipping states, empowering survivors, and turning shared commitment into lasting action.
That is how traffickers are defeated. That is how survivors find justice. And that is how we build a future where human trafficking has no place in America.
Mercedes Schlapp is a Senior Fellow at CPAC, where Frank Russo is Senior Advisor for Human Dignity and Combating Human Trafficking.

Domestic abuse victim with hands pressed against glass window

From Awareness To Action: The Next Step In The Fight Against Human Trafficking 

Biden Administration

CPAC

Human Trafficking

Illegal Immigration

Sex Trafficking

Slavery

Trump Administraiton

A French model recruiter who had ties to the late convicted pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was discovered dead in his home in France on Monday evening.
Daniel Siad, 69, was found dead in his home in Colombes — a suburb of Paris — Marie-Céline Lawrysz, the deputy public prosecutor at the Nanterre Judicial Court, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/22/europe/model-recruiter-epstein-dead-france-intl">said</a> in a statement to CNN. 
“An investigation to determine the cause of death was opened on Monday evening following the discovery,” said the Nanterre prosecutor&#8217;s office. An autopsy of Siad’s body will also be performed to determine his official cause of death.
Siad&#8217;s name was mentioned around 2,000 times ​in the Epstein files, which were released by the U.S. Department of ⁠Justice, Reuters reported. Despite the clear connection, Siad had denied any knowledge of Epstein’s evils. Previously, French media had reported that five women accused Siad of human trafficking and rape — accusations which he also denied.
Siad’s lawyer <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/french-modelling-scout-linked-epstein-found-dead-2026-07-22/">wrote</a> an emailed statement to Reuters, saying that he was never formally the subject of judicial proceedings.
In France, after a preliminary probe, suspects are then placed under formal investigation. The preliminary probe is done to help investigative magistrates determine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe a crime has been committed — at which point, a deeper investigation might be warranted.
&#8220;Daniel Siad never stopped proclaiming his innocence,&#8221; said his lawyer, Meyna Arab-Tigrine. She added that “Siad had died of a heart attack.” 
Anya, a victim of Epstein who used an alias, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8en38vpd3o">told</a> the BBC that Siad had introduced her to the sex offender. “It was a complete set-up,” Anya said. She described Siad as “essentially a professional trafficker.”
Before his death, Siad was interviewed by CNN. He told the network that there was no reason for him to believe that two women he&#8217;d scouted for Epstein had been harmed — but the women told CNN a different story. Both women told CNN that they were abused by Epstein.
Siad continued doing business with Epstein even after Epstein&#8217;s 2008 conviction on sex crimes. He said he believed Epstein was a casting director for Victoria’s Secret and MC2, another modeling agency, but CNN did not find evidence of this.
“I trusted him and believed this guy was a professional person,” Siad told CNN. “I never heard anything from anyone I introduced to him who came back to me that they had a bad situation. I believed this guy is a professional person.”
In one email from the Epstein files, Siad wrote in bad English: “In This busyness I feel like fisherman some time I cache quick, some time no fish.”
The DOJ released files that revealed Epstein paid tens of thousands of dollars to Siad, according to CNN.
During his travels, Siad would send photos of young women to Epstein. Some pictures showed the women in very provocative poses, according to the DOJ.
“Cute French girl in Marrakesh … She said that she will [be] happy to meet you,” Siad said in one message.
Siad said that Epstein asked him to help find an assistant. Another message showed Siad sent Epstein a picture of a woman who was “very polite” and who had “potential” as a “model” or “assistant.”
“Too old,” Epstein replied.
Siad is the ​second man who died in France with a public relationship with Epstein, according to Reuters. Jean-Luc Brunel, a modelling agent, was arrested by French authorities in 2020 after allegedly acquiring women for Epstein. 
In 2022, Brunel was found hanged in his prison cell after spending 14 months awaiting his trial on charges of sexual harassment and rape of minors. Brunel had denied both involvement with Epstein and the charges against him.
In 2019, Epstein committed suicide in his New York prison cell while in custody, awaiting his trial for sex trafficking.

Jeffrey Epstein

Epstein-Linked Model Recruiter Found Dead In France

Epstein Files

France

modeling

A Texas man who participated in the furry subculture was sentenced Monday to 20 years in federal prison after transporting a minor to a furry convention in Georgia, where he sexually abused the child, according to the Justice Department. 
Joseph Robertson, 37, pleaded guilty to transporting the minor from Frisco, Texas, to Atlanta for the convention. In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, he was ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release. 
Robertson was part of the furry community, a subculture centered on anthropomorphic animal characters whose members often create animal personas, known as &#8220;fursonas,&#8221; and wear elaborate costumes. Some furry conventions also include adult-oriented programming and vendors. Robertson commissioned a red-and-white full-body animal costume representing his &#8220;fursona&#8221; before traveling to the convention with the child, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth <a href="https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/frisco-man-sentenced-to-20-years-for-sexually-abusing-a-minor-at-a-furry-convention/4049298/">reports</a>.
“While at the convention, Robertson sexually abused the child by engaging in acts that would constitute child molestation and sodomy under Georgia State law,” the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/frisco-furry-enthusiast-sentenced-20-years-federal-prison-transporting-child-sexual">said</a>. “Additionally, Robertson purchased sexual stimulants and devices at the convention, and commissioned artwork depicting his furry persona engaged in sex acts with the minor victim.”
U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs called Robertson&#8217;s conduct “depraved.”
“Most children’s experiences with people costumed as animals comes in the context of fun encounters in theme parks,&#8221; Combs said. &#8220;This defendant turned a furry costume into a nightmare of sexual abuse.” 
Combs also faulted the convention itself, saying he was disturbed that a child was even present in such an atmosphere. 
“It shocks the conscience that a child was allowed into a convention where adults were dressed up as furry animals and sex devices were being sold,” Combs said. “Not one person in that convention contacted the authorities to protect the child. Every child deserves security, dignity, and a community that stands fiercely in their defense. Protecting children is one of our most solemn responsibilities, and we will act ferociously against anyone who threatens their safety.”
The Justice Department did not disclose the child&#8217;s identity, age, or gender.
The case was prosecuted as part of the Justice Department&#8217;s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which targets the exploitation and abuse of children.

Furry

Man Sentenced To 20 Years After Abusing Child At Furry Convention

Child Sex Abuse

Furries

Sexual Abuse

When five illegal immigrants arrived at a hotel in Homestead, Florida, on June 9, they thought they&#8217;d be greeted by underage girls they could sexually abuse. Instead, they were met by law enforcement officers who quickly placed them in handcuffs.
Authorities lured the accused illegal immigrant predators via an online advertisement that offered sexual services at a hotel in Homestead, Florida. In the advertisement, officials posed as a mother who was prostituting her two daughters, who were between the ages of 13 and 15. 
Some of the illegal immigrants who were caught had rap sheets and had been deported before, The Daily Wire has learned. In total, law enforcement arrested a dozen men between the ages of 22 and 51 for child sex trafficking, including the five who were in the United States illegally, authorities said.
The suspects allegedly paid between $300 and $800 to engage in various sex acts with the girls, <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/pair-arrested-in-undercover-world-cup-human-trafficking-sting-authorities-say/3819098/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NBC Miami.
 Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtRZvqVtiwg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">characterized</a> the operation as &#8220;the best evidence of how we know these predators exist, we know that they’re seeking out our young — our minors.&#8221;
&#8220;These predators were intending to buy minors, and we were able to intervene before there was any victim to really rescue,&#8221; she said.
One of the accused illegal immigrants was Armando Martinez-Cerron, a Mexican national who is a repeat criminal with prior arrests for cocaine possession and DUI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Daily Wire. Martinez-Cerron first crossed the border illegally in 1999 and was subsequently deported on two occasions.
His last deportation occurred in January 2023 before he snuck back into the United States without getting caught, according to DHS.
Mexican illegal immigrant Daniel Guadalupe Rubio Pelcastre is also an alleged repeat offender who was previously arrested for domestic violence and battery, according to DHS. Rubio Pelcastre was also deported twice, first in November 2012 and then in December 2012.
Pantaleon Mendez Ortega, a Guatemalan national, has been living in the United States illegally for over two decades, entering the United States in May 2000, DHS said. His criminal record includes prior arrests for drunk driving.
Guatemalan illegal immigrant Alex Gilberto Pastor-Perez has been living illegally in the United States since March 2015, having an outstanding deportation order since July 2017, according to DHS.
Nicolas Diego Roselin is a Guatemalan who crossed the border illegally in May 2019, according to DHS. An immigration judge ordered his deportation in April 2025.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents assisted local authorities with the sting, a DHS spokesperson told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States,&#8221; the spokesperson said.
The suspects face felony charges that include human trafficking of a person under 18.

5 Illegals arrested in Miami-Dade

EXCLUSIVE: Deportees, Illegal Immigrants With Rap Sheets Caught Soliciting Sex With Young Girls

Florida

illegal immigrants

America has known for decades that its children are being preyed upon digitally at an industrial scale, and that the predators are overwhelmingly our own citizens.
The National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited Children’s CyberTipline logged 21.3 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation, containing more than 61.8 million images, videos, and files. Child sex trafficking reports alone reached 113,500 — a 323% surge from the prior year. Generative AI has supercharged the nightmare, producing more than 1.5 million reports tied to AI-generated abuse material. The U.S. hosts more child sexual abuse material online than any other country, accounting for approximately <a href="https://www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/iwf-in-the-news/the-us-now-hosts-more-child-sexual-abuse-material-online-than-any-other-country/">30%</a> of the global total of CSAM URLs.
This trafficking is not primarily the kind Americans are often taught to imagine: foreign cartels smuggling victims across the border. Federal data and long-term studies of commercial sexual exploitation of minors show the perpetrators are <a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-06/child_sex_trafficking_in_the_united_states_2.pdf">98.8% U.S. citizens</a> — overwhelmingly male, with an average age of 28.5, and frequently someone the child already knows. Databases sit on evidence of up to 89,000 unidentified American child victims. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. IP addresses have been caught trading child sexual abuse material involving kids under 12. This is American-on-American crime via the online world.
Digital platforms host, algorithmically amplify, and profit from grooming, sextortion, and trafficking children while facing almost no legal consequences for failing to act aggressively. They rake in billions from ad revenue generated by the very engagement these crimes produce. Predators operate openly across Instagram DMs, Snapchat disappearing messages, TikTok, Discord, gaming platforms, peer-to-peer networks, and encrypted apps — moving kids from “friendly” chats to coercion, to live-streamed abuse, to motel-room ads posted on sites that generate clicks and dollars for the tech giants.
Big Tech ultimately benefits. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act was created to protect a young internet industry and encourage platforms to moderate harmful content. But as technology changed, courts interpreted the statute broadly, and platforms grew into some of the most powerful companies in the world, that shield became something far larger than Congress originally contemplated. By 2018, lawmakers had formally acknowledged that Section 230 was being used to protect websites facilitating sex trafficking. Yet targeted reforms for child exploitation and trafficking have remained slow and incomplete.
The human reality of this exploitation is sickening. Tim Tebow laid it bare in <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-exposes-child-trafficking-and-online-sexual-exploitation-in-subcommittee-hearing/">testimony</a> before Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R–MO) <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/lost-and-exploited-confronting-child-trafficking-and-the-failure-to-protect-americas-most-vulnerable">subcommittee</a> earlier this year. He held up a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVdxFDnkW02/?hl=en">DOJ database map</a> of the United States blanketed in 338,000 red pinpricks. Each red dot represented a unique American IP address that, in just six months, downloaded, shared, or distributed images and videos of children under 12 being raped. The barely visible blue marks represented the handful of actual law enforcement investigations.
Behind every red dot is a real child — still unidentified, still trapped, or still forced to live with the knowledge that images of their abuse are being traded online. For far too long, the response has been inadequate. Years of under-resourcing have left federal investigators badly outmatched. <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawleys-legislation-combating-child-exploitation-passes-out-of-committee-included-in-reconciliation/">According</a> to Hawley’s office, DHS currently has only seven forensic analysts working these cases.
Under the current administration, federal enforcement has shown what urgency can accomplish. FBI Director Kash Patel’s <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fbi-s-operation-iron-pursuit-rescues-over-200-child-victims-nets-350-plus-arrests">Operation Iron Pursuit</a> located more than 200 child victims and led to the arrests of more than 350 alleged child sexual abuse offenders in a historic one-month nationwide effort. But a successful enforcement operation, however commendable, is not the same thing as a permanent rescue infrastructure. An administration can prioritize enforcement for a term. However, Congress must provide the manpower, funding, and statutory backing so that rescue and prevention do not depend on a temporary surge of political will.
Belatedly, Congress is beginning to move. Rep. Laurel Lee’s (R-FL) <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/474">REPORT Act</a>, sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and signed into law in 2024, required online platforms to report not only child sexual abuse material but also child sex trafficking and online enticement to NCMEC. The flood of new data is, in part, the result of finally forcing platforms to disclose more of what has been happening in the dark.
The <a href="https://www.takeitdown.ftc.gov/">TAKE IT DOWN Act</a>, signed into law last year, criminalized the publication of nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-generated sexual deepfakes, and required covered platforms to establish a removal process for victims. Recently, the FTC has been <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2026/05/take-it-down-act-enforcement-starts-now-what-know-about-ftc-tida">enforcing</a> the law’s notice-and-removal provision, requiring platforms to remove qualifying content and known identical copies within 48 hours of a valid request.
But takedown is only one side of the fight. Once a child has been groomed, coerced, recorded, or trafficked, the crisis has already reached the point of rescue. That is why Lee’s bipartisan <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6998/all-info">Renewed Hope Act</a> targets the identification bottleneck by requiring DHS to hire, train, and deploy at least 200 specialized investigators, forensic experts, and analysts to the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit and HSI field offices nationwide.
Hawley has moved the Renewed Hope Act framework into the Senate’s broader DHS funding fight, giving the child exploitation measure a potentially faster path than it would have as a standalone House bill. The <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawleys-legislation-combating-child-exploitation-passes-out-of-committee-included-in-reconciliation/">provision</a>, included in the GOP’s DHS reconciliation package, the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/194">SECURE America Act</a>, would allocate $108.5 million to hire those HSI personnel. By folding Renewed Hope into a larger DHS funding vehicle expected to move through the Senate, Hawley has increased the likelihood that the effort could gain momentum quickly and deliver resources directly to the investigators responsible for identifying unknown victims and pursuing their abusers.
Taken together, these measures begin to form the outline of a serious national response: report the exploitation, take down the material, arrest the predators, identify the victims, and build the investigative capacity to rescue children before their abuse becomes another permanent file in a federal database.
But the fight remains precarious. The government cannot simply fund the rescue of children after exploitation occurs. It must make digital child exploitation harder to commit in the first place.
That means stronger age protections, better evidence preservation, faster takedown mechanisms, meaningful cooperation with law enforcement, real consequences for platforms that allow predators to operate with impunity, and a long-overdue reckoning with Section 230.
Our societal sickness has mainstreamed pornography, sexualized minors in entertainment and fashion, and taught generations of children that traditional boundaries around sex and age are oppressive or outdated. Our culture created these predators, and our internet gave them anonymity, infinite reach, and an endless supply of victims.
Whether Congress is truly waking up will be decided in the coming weeks. Our children, the thousands waiting behind those flashing red dots, deserve more than another round of hearings and headlines.
***
Bethany Miller is director of Communications at NRB, managing editor of The Conservateur, and a fellow at Concerned Women for America.

Dangerous anonymous hackers are using laptops for identity theft, internet, cybercrime. Cyber attack, destruction and malware concept. Blackout. Digital binary code on background.

The Internet’s Dark Underbelly Destroying America’s Kids

Child pornography

DW Opinion

Former President Bill Clinton visibly froze when he was asked to explain why the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein might have said that he &#8220;likes them young.&#8221;
Clinton, deposed by several members of Congress in the ongoing Epstein probe, appeared to freeze the moment the question was asked about Epstein before his attorney jumped in quickly to rephrase the question for him before he answered.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Asked about Jeffrey Epstein allegedly saying that Bill Clinton “likes them young,” Clinton denies having any interest in “young” girls.
Q: Is an intern young?
Clinton: Yes. <a href="https://t.co/0aEym00yjP">pic.twitter.com/0aEym00yjP</a>
— Decensored News (@decensorednews) <a href="https://twitter.com/decensorednews/status/2028627983649407040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Did you know one of the witnesses who testified in the Epstein cases said that you, quote, &#8216;like them young.&#8217; Why would Epstein say that about you?&#8221; Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) posed the question.
Clinton stared straight ahead, but his attorney pounced immediately: &#8220;Are you asking his opinion? Are you asking him to think about why Mr. Epstein would say something about him?&#8221;
&#8220;Correct. Why would Epstein say that about the president?&#8221; Mace pressed.
The attorney jumped into motion again, quickly reframing the question before Clinton could begin to answer, saying, &#8220;So she&#8217;s asking you to try to be in Mr. Epstein&#8217;s mind and guess at what Mr. Epstein would have thought about —&#8221;
&#8220;First of all —&#8221; Clinton began, but was cut off as Mace interrupted.
&#8220;&#8216;Clinton likes them young,&#8217; referring to girls,&#8221; she repeated.
After a long pause, Clinton tried again.
&#8220;First of all,&#8221; he said, and then paused again before adding, &#8220;That&#8217;s not true.&#8221;
&#8220;What&#8217;s not true?&#8221; Mace asked.
&#8220;That I have any interest in underage girls,&#8221; Clinton said.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t say underage, Mr. President,&#8221; Mace interjected. &#8220;I said young.&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s still not true,&#8221; Clinton said, his voice rising slightly as he pushed back from the table.
Mace&#8217;s follow-up question, clearly referencing his former intern Monica Lewinsky, also appeared to take the former president off guard: &#8220;Is an intern young?&#8221;
&#8220;Yes,&#8221; Clinton conceded, but quickly added, &#8220;At my age, anybody younger than I am is young.&#8221;
Lewinsky was just 22 and working as an intern in the White House when Clinton, then 49, began an extramarital affair with her. The affair lasted 18 months and when their relationship became a public scandal in 1998, Clinton initially denied everything.
The former president, throughout the deposition, insisted that he had never witnessed Epstein doing anything that would have led him to believe that the late convicted pedophile had ever been involved in trafficking underage girls.

Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Clinton, Monica Lewinsky

WATCH: Clinton Denies He ‘Likes Them Young’ — Then Comes The Lewinsky Question

Bill Clinton

Congress

Media

Politics

President Donald Trump tied disgraced former British royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein during a 2015 interview, advising reporters to question &#8220;Prince Andrew&#8221; if they wanted to know what went on at Epstein&#8217;s notorious private island.
Trump, who was asked to comment on Epstein, said at the time that it was clear the disgraced financier had &#8220;a problem&#8221; — and that Andrew, who has since been stripped of his royal title and status, was in a position to know more about Epstein&#8217;s behaviors than most.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 FLASHBACK: President Trump calling out Prince Andrew 11 years ago!
<a href="https://t.co/KCrHSHvy33">pic.twitter.com/KCrHSHvy33</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2024484363950248448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;You raised the question of Jeffrey Epstein in your remarks about her — in the Q &amp; A with Sean,&#8221; a reporter said.
&#8220;Well, I think he’s got a problem,&#8221; Trump replied. &#8220;I mean, I’m hearing —&#8221;
&#8220;What do you think the problem will be?&#8221; the reporter pressed.
&#8220;I don’t know, but that island was really a cesspool,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;There’s no question about it, just ask Prince Andrew. He’ll tell you about it. The island was an absolute cesspool.&#8221;
Within the next few years, Epstein became the subject of a federal investigation into child-sex trafficking and was ultimately arrested and jailed in New York City. The investigation dug into Epstein&#8217;s powerful connections, in addition to a previous sweetheart plea deal Epstein had secured in Florida in 2008 — which allowed him to plead to lesser state offenses and avoid federal sex trafficking charges.
According to a 2019 ruling, however, the plea deal was a violation of the Crime Victims&#8217; Rights Act because the victims were not informed when it was struck.
Epstein died that same year by suicide in a jail cell in New York City&#8217;s Metropolitan Correctional Center, but the investigation into his network and powerful connections continued. His longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell was tried and convicted of sex trafficking.
Mountbatten-Windsor, in the years that followed, was stripped of his titles and royal duties. And on the morning of his 66th birthday — February 19, 2026 — he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-prince-andrew-arrested-over-epstein-files-faces-life-in-prison">arrested</a> by British law enforcement officers who accused him of misconduct while serving in public office in connection with his ties to Epstein. Reports suggest that he could face life in prison, if convicted.
King Charles issued a rare public statement following the arrest, saying, &#8220;Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.&#8221;
President Trump also addressed Mountbatten-Windsor&#8217;s arrest, saying that it was a horrible thing for the royal family as a whole.
Saying that the document releases thus far have &#8220;totally exonerated&#8221; him, Trump made it clear that he felt bad for Britain&#8217;s King Charles — a &#8220;fantastic man&#8221; — to have to deal with the fallout of Andrew&#8217;s ties to Epstein.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump on Prince Andrew arrest &#8211; It’s a shame <a href="https://t.co/sDMnBTOL46">pic.twitter.com/sDMnBTOL46</a>
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) <a href="https://twitter.com/KarluskaP/status/2024576309465125146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Watch Trump Toss Prince Andrew Under Epstein Bus 11 Years Ago

Donald Trump

Great Britain

Prince Andrew

The Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of pages — all related to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — to the public on Friday, including several never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton with the disgraced financier.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed that, thus far, the investigation had uncovered some 1,200 victims — whose names and identifying information have been redacted in order to protect them — and Fox News Digital initially reported that the same treatment had been given to the names of those who were serving as government officials or were considered to be politically connected.
&#8220;Today, the Department of Justice publicly released materials related to Jeffrey Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Additional responsive materials will be produced as our review continues, consistent with the law and with protections for victims,&#8221; Blanche posted, sharing a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/epstein/">link to the files</a>.
Blanche sent a letter to Congress on Friday — which was obtained by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/epstein-files-explode-open-doj-details-discovery-powerful-figures-more-than-1200-victims">Fox News Digital</a> — explaining what had been included in the release and what had been redacted.
<blockquote>We write to notify you that today the Department of Justice is producing hundreds of thousands of pages of responsive materials in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, this unprecedented disclosure highlights our commitment to following the law, being transparent, and protecting victims.</blockquote>
Included in the files released Friday were a number of new photos — including a few of Bill Clinton in a pool with convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and in a hot tub with at least one unidentified female whose face has been redacted. According to the Justice Department&#8217;s own process, the only faces that would be redacted would be those of minors, alleged victims, and government officials.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1018041" style="width: 787px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1018041" class="size-large wp-image-1018041" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ClintonMaxwellPool-777x576.jpeg" alt="" width="777" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ClintonMaxwellPool-777x576.jpeg 777w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ClintonMaxwellPool-300x222.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ClintonMaxwellPool-768x569.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/ClintonMaxwellPool.jpeg 946w" sizes=" (max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px" />Image via Justice Department</div>
Blanche also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/epstein-update-trumps-doj-to-miss-friday-deadline-says-its-not-prepared-to-release-all-epstein-files?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=EPSTEIN+UPDATE%3A+Trump%E2%80%99s+DOJ+To+Miss+Friday+Deadline%2C+Says+It%E2%80%99s+Not+Prepared+To+Release+All+Epstein+Files">told</a> &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; on Friday that “several hundred thousand” more documents won’t be released until the coming weeks.
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&#8220;The most important thing that the attorney general has talked about, that [FBI Director Kash] Patel has talked about, is that we protect victims, and so what we are doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story to the extent that it needs to be protected is completely protected.&#8221;
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<div id="attachment_1018045" style="width: 779px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1018045" class="size-large wp-image-1018045" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/G8kCH3HXQAEQOZ--769x576.jpeg" alt="" width="769" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/G8kCH3HXQAEQOZ--769x576.jpeg 769w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/G8kCH3HXQAEQOZ--300x225.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/G8kCH3HXQAEQOZ--768x575.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/G8kCH3HXQAEQOZ-.jpeg 880w" sizes=" (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px" />Image via Justice Department</div>
Some of the documents released on Friday included flight logs, a list of some 200 masseuses that is almost fully redacted, a client list belonging to Epstein, several new photos — most of which are at least partially redacted — and evidence files from the case against Maxwell. It is unclear as yet how much of the information is new and how much has been included in previous releases.
It is also unclear how many of the redactions were made to protect the integrity of any ongoing investigations or pending litigation.

Bill Clinton with Jeffrey Epstein

DOJ Drops Long-Awaited Trove Of Epstein Files That Includes Shocking Bill Clinton Pics

Department of Justice

Ghislaine Maxwell

Pedophilia

A number of recent headlines offer a terrifying glimpse into the stark reality of human trafficking, showing just how pervasive the threat is even in the United States.
In June, a 21-year-old man in Fresno, California, was <a href="https://abc30.com/post/online-safety-group-nabs-fresno-man-trying-meet-child-gaming-platform/16746623/">caught</a> using multiple dummy accounts on the popular gaming platform Roblox to lure young girls into dangerous situations. Manuel Coronado Gonzalez was caught when he attempted to set up such a meeting with a decoy who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. The plan, according to local news reports, was for Coronado Gonzalez to meet the decoy in a public bathroom for sex.
Coronado Gonzalez was caught thanks to a local independent group called Schlep, which has worked with local law enforcement to apprehend similar predators and has aided in investigations that led to five arrests.
“Every single arrest that I have gotten, if it wasn’t us, it would have been a real kid. It would have easily been a headline,” one member of the group, identified only as Michael, explained.
Another group, known as 764, has routinely and repeatedly targeted young teens on both Roblox and Minecraft. Their network has been active for years and is so complex and pervasive that major law enforcement agencies have had difficulty pinning it down. The FBI issued a warning to Americans about the threat posed by 764 in 2024, and it was the subject of a documentary titled “Trapped: The Online Terror Network” released in March.
The documentary followed the story of a teen girl from Red Deer, Alberta, who was groomed and coerced by the group to attempt suicide on a Discord livestream as many of them watched. Trinity had been coerced into carving swastikas and the usernames of others on the platform into her own skin.
“It was difficult to be heard, it was difficult to be believed,” Trinity’s mother, Maria, explained. “It was a pretty traumatic experience, not only for her, but as her mom, to watch her deteriorate to nothing while begging for help.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) got involved in the case, but struggled to find solid leads.
“It’s something that internationally, both police and our intelligence security partners are still trying to wrap our heads around. It&#8217;s unlike anything we&#8217;ve seen before,” said Inspector Matt Johnson, part of the RCMP’s counterterrorism unit, Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), in Edmonton, Alberta.
As <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/online-extremist-network-that-targets-kids">reported by CBC</a>, the teens are typically courted first on Roblox or Minecraft and then lured into private chats on platforms like Discord, all the while being conditioned to believe the chats are a “safe space” for children who are already struggling with issues like eating disorders.
“Experts say the grooming includes lavishing victims with attention and exposing them to violent content to desensitize them. Victims are then coerced into sending sexually explicit images and to self-harm, including carving their predator’s names into their skin as a sign of devotion,” the CBC reported.
The victims are then <a href="https://www.telus.com/en/wise/resources/content/article/the-dangerous-online-network-764-what-parents-need-to-know">threatened by the group</a>, which uses the explicit photos to blackmail them into doing exponentially worse things — repeated self-harm, violence to pets, and even livestreamed suicides like the one that was attempted in Trinity’s case.
What makes the group’s actions especially horrific is that they often involve teens targeting other teens. “The FBI first warned the public about 764 in September 2023 amid a series of arrests, including Bradley Cadenhead, a 15-year-old from Texas who founded the group in 2020 and named it after his zip code,” CBC reported. “Cadenhead is serving an 80-year sentence in 2023 for pleading guilty to possession with intent to promote child pornography.”
Law enforcement has reported 764-related cases in at least 23 countries.
The shocking new documentary “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-documentary-exposes-americas-human-trafficking-epidemic">Hiding In Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic</a>,” now streaming on DailyWire+, is a timely warning about situations like these.
Released in partnership with renowned anti-trafficking organization Our Rescue, the film “exposes the harsh reality of sex trafficking and child exploitation in the United States, showing that this crisis is one affecting communities across the nation. Through real survivor stories, expert perspectives, and firsthand accounts from law enforcement, ‘Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic’ reveals how trafficking and exploitation continue to thrive in America, and what can be done to stop it.”
Warning parents about the risk posed by such predators was the goal Our Rescue had in mind when making “Hiding In Plain Sight.” Our Rescue CEO Derek Benner explained, “Sex trafficking and child exploitation cases are rising across the U.S., and the victims are often the most vulnerable among us, our children. This film is a wake-up call. It challenges us all to recognize the signs, confront the crisis head-on, and join the fight to protect our communities.”
“This film could save your child’s life,” said Mike Richards, President and Chief Content Officer of Daily Wire Entertainment. “Predators don’t lurk just outside anymore — they reach directly into your home through phones and social media. Even the most vigilant parents can have their child targeted. Every parent in America needs to see this film, and thanks to our members who share our mission and support our fight against the darkest evils in society and culture, we’re able to offer it to the public for free.”

Hiding In Plain Sight

The Child Trafficking Epidemic Is Worse Than You Think

Crime

The Daily Wire is releasing an important new documentary today. In association with Our Rescue, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/hiding-in-plain-sight-america-s-trafficking-epidemic">Hiding in Plain Sight</a>” takes you inside the shocking world of digital predators who use everyday apps to hunt, groom, and traffic children from their own bedrooms — at a scale law enforcement has never seen before.
Few people know that better than Derek Benner, CEO of <a href="http://www.ourrescue.org">Our Rescue</a>. Benner helped lead the creation of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the nation’s first unified task force dedicated to ending modern slavery.
As Benner points out, the crisis is closer than we think. — The Daily Wire
* * *
One of the most common questions I get as the CEO of Our Rescue is: “Does child exploitation and sex trafficking really happen here?” 
I often reply, if you ask any law enforcement officer working sex trafficking and child exploitation cases, they’ll tell you the same thing: “The biggest mistake people make is thinking this crime doesn’t happen at home, in our communities, in the United States. It does. And it’s everywhere.”
Worldwide, there are nearly 50 million people trapped in modern slavery, according to the International Labor Organization. In 2024, the Global Tips Report showed that the number of children being trafficked had increased 31% in 2022 compared to 2019, with a 38% rise recorded for girls. Before I joined Our Rescue, I spent my career at Homeland Security Investigations — leading complex efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation and spearheading the creation of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the first unified, inter-agency coordination center dedicated to combating trafficking in all forms. And I can tell you, everyday law enforcement officers uncover cases of children and adults being groomed, recruited, coerced, or even sold in our own communities. The victims are not just statistics; they are neighbors, classmates, and children whose lives are being stolen in plain sight.
But beyond these trafficking cases, another fast-growing threat is here in the U.S. — the online sexual exploitation of children. Technology has opened new frontiers for predators and organized criminal groups, making it easier than ever to target American kids in their own homes.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic | The Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AOS9VUHpDpE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The scale of child sexual exploitation in the United States is staggering. In 2024 alone, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline received over 20.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. These reports included more than 62.9 million files of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). This is not just a statistic; it represents real images, videos, and other materials depicting children enduring unimaginable harm.
Mike Prado, who heads the Cyber Crimes Center (C3) at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), put it plainly: “This is no longer just about lone offenders. Today, organized criminal groups overseas are running sextortion schemes that deliberately target American children for profit.” Operations out of places like West Africa have pushed kids in America into such despair that some have taken their own lives within hours of first contact. That is the new face of exploitation. And it’s happening in U.S. households. Every. Single. Day.
The game has changed. “Now these offenders have access to the same technology that the government has,” Prado told me. “They don’t have to go to MIT. They don’t have to have a computer science degree to figure this stuff out.”
Two decades ago, law enforcement relied on basic email for victim identification. Smartphones weren’t widely available, the darknet was barely in use, and exploiting technology required computer science expertise. Today, both predators and our children can figure out these tools with ease. Technology is everywhere, and every device a child receives, whether for school or learning, can become a portal into the darker areas of the internet. According to a 2019 Kaspersky study, 84% of parents worldwide are worried about their children’s online safety. Yet also according to the study, on average, parents only spend a total of 46 minutes talking to their children about online security throughout their entire childhood. Ignoring that is a luxury we can’t afford anymore.
While law enforcement and government investment in combating exploitation have increased over the years, there is still much more to do to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated offenders.
The core challenge is sheer scale. Every success is quickly met with new cases, and for every criminal network taken down overseas, another takes its place. It is the demand for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in the U.S. that keeps this cycle in motion.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/hiding-in-plain-sight-america-s-trafficking-epidemic"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-993575 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Untitled-design-7.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
In 2024, reports involving generative artificial intelligence (AI) increased by 1,325%, highlighting how technology is being weaponized against our children. Additionally, reports of online enticement, including sextortion, rose by 192%, with nearly 100 reports of financial sextortion per day. Since 2021, NCMEC has been aware of at least 36 teenage boys who have taken their lives due to this crime.
The problem is not just the number of cases but the sophistication of the predators and the overwhelming volume of reports. In 2024, NCMEC assisted law enforcement with 29,568 cases of missing children and helped bring 91% of them home. However, the risks, especially online, are becoming more complex and widespread.
But I believe that partnerships are the key to changing the tide in this fight. Just this year, the inaugural Interstate Justice Coalition surge operation (coordinated between Our Rescue, We Fight Monsters, and Skull Games Solutions and in partnership with local law enforcement agencies) spanned across Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, resulting in the identification of 32 trafficking victims, the safe recovery of 26 survivors, and the arrest of 15 traffickers.
It’s work like this — collaboration between law enforcement, nonprofits, communities, and individuals is what ultimately keeps children safe. Fighting sex trafficking and child exploitation isn’t only about arrests: It’s also about prevention and education, because the best defense is an informed community. I invite you to learn more about how you can <a href="https://ourrescue.org/join-the-fight">Join the Fight</a> against sex trafficking and child exploitation.
We must stop living like it is someone else’s problem. It’s not. It’s here, and it’s exploding at a rate our communities are not prepared to handle.
No one can fight it alone. But together we can save lives and dismantle networks that exploit and harm children.
* * *
Derek Benner is proud to serve as the CEO of Our Rescue. Formerly the Chief Mission Officer, overseeing international and domestic Operations and Survivor Care teams, he brings expertise gained from a 30-year career in federal law enforcement that includes leading Homeland Security Investigations within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Derek led the creation of the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the first unified, inter-component coordination center for countering human trafficking.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.

Prison guard esicort inmate throught corridor in jail corridor for booking.

Confronting The Crisis Of Child Exploitation In America: Why We Must Act Now

Children

DailyWire+

Department of Homeland Security

Documentaries

kidnapping

Social Media

Technology

A new documentary from the nation&#8217;s leading anti-trafficking organization now streaming on DailyWire+ exposes some of the biggest threats to America&#8217;s children.
From <a href="http://www.ourrescue.org">Our Rescue</a> and The Daily Wire, &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/hiding-in-plain-sight-america-s-trafficking-epidemic">Hiding in Plain Sight: America&#8217;s Trafficking Epidemic&#8221;</a> exposes the harsh reality of sex trafficking and child exploitation in the United States, showing that this crisis is one affecting communities across the nation. Through real survivor stories, expert perspectives, and firsthand accounts from law enforcement, Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic reveals how trafficking and exploitation continues to thrive in America, and what can be done to stop it.&#8221;
The film&#8217;s director, Nick Nanton, said he hopes the film wakes Americans up to this persistent threat.
“The goal was to capture the real, uncomfortable truth: trafficking isn’t just occurring overseas or in a Hollywood script. It’s happening right here at home — and it’s hiding in plain sight,&#8221; Nanton said.
“Sex trafficking and child exploitation cases are rising across the U.S., and the victims are often the most vulnerable among us, our children,&#8221; Our Rescue CEO Derek Benner said. &#8220;This film is a wake-up call. It challenges us all to recognize the signs, confront the crisis head-on, and join the fight to protect our communities.&#8221;
&#8220;This film could save your child’s life,&#8221; said Mike Richards, President and Chief Content Officer of Daily Wire Entertainment.
&#8220;Predators don’t lurk just outside anymore — they reach directly into your home through phones and social media. Even the most vigilant parents can have their child targeted. Every parent in America needs to see this film, and thanks to our members who share our mission and support our fight against the darkest evils in society and culture, we’re able to offer it to the public for free.&#8221;
You can stream &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/hiding-in-plain-sight-america-s-trafficking-epidemic">Hiding In Plain Sight</a>&#8221; now, exclusively on DailyWire+.

Shocking Exposé Of America’s Human Trafficking Epidemic Premieres On DailyWire+

The Justice Department on Friday released hours of audio and hundreds of pages of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/maxwell-interview">transcripts</a> of interviews it conducted with Jeffrey Epstein associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
During her two days of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell said she does not believe that Epstein, who was found dead in a Manhattan federal prison cell in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges, killed himself.
&#8220;I do not believe he died by suicide,&#8221; Maxwell said, adding that she had no idea who could have been behind his death.
Maxwell confirmed her close ties to the rich and famous, but claimed she never saw any man do anything inappropriate with a woman of any age. She said that it was “a flat no” that any man, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, did anything inappropriate.
“I never, ever saw any man doing something inappropriate with a woman of any age. I never saw inappropriate habits,” she <a href="https://www.justice.gov/storage/audio-files/Interview%20Transcript/Interview%20Transcript%20-%20Maxwell%202025.07.25%20(Redacted).pdf">told</a> Blanche. “Now somebody’s inappropriate and mine may be different.”
Maxwell also denied the existence of any Epstein client list and that anyone was being blackmailed. Blanche asked whether Maxwell had seen a variety of powerful men do anything inappropriate with women during her interactions with them.
“Absolutely never, in any context,” she said when asked if she had seen President Donald Trump do anything improper.
“Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me. And I just want to say that I find — I — I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now. And I like him, and I’ve always liked him. So that is the sum and substance of my entire relationship with him,” she said, according to the transcript.
“I actually never saw the president in any type of massage setting. I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way,” she added. “The president was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”
She said that she was unaware of any masseuses from Mar-a-Lago ever giving Epstein a private massage. 
She also complained about people linking her and Epstein together.
“Another thing is that everyone puts us together like a monolith,” she said. “He literally had a separate life from me. I literally had a separate life from him.”
During the interview, Maxwell discussed her relationship with the Clintons, recounting a trip she took to Latin America with President Bill Clinton. When asked what the purpose of the trip was, she said that she did not remember.
“And I thought it was an honor and a privilege to be part of something so amazing and to have an opportunity to spend time with a man that I found truly extraordinary. And please, I don’t mean it in any other way, other than as a former fantastic ex-president,” she said.
She also said that she had met powerful figures like Elon Musk, former CNN host Chris Cuomo, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, former Secretary of State John Kerry, former Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
According to Maxwell, RFK Jr. and Epstein took a trip in the mid-1990s to find dinosaur bones in the Dakotas. She said that she never witnessed anything inappropriate happen on the trip.
Shortly after the interview files were released, Maxwell’s lawyer put out a statement denying that she had ever committed any crimes.
“Ghislaine Maxwell is innocent and never should have been tried, much less convicted, in this case. She never committed or participated in sexual abuse against minors, or anyone else for that matter,” lawyer David Markus posted on X. “In fact, the government has admitted that it did not even consider her a conspirator during the extensive investigation into Epstein in the Southern District of Florida. The only reason she was ever charged is that she served as a scapegoat after Jeffrey Epstein died in prison.”
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in the Epstein scheme to sexually abuse and exploit minor girls. She is currently serving out a 20-year sentence and was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ghislaine-maxwell-moved-from-florida-prison-to-lower-security-facility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moved</a> to a lower-security prison shortly after she met with Blanche.
Trump has been asked numerous times if he would consider pardoning Maxwell.
The full transcripts and audio files can be <a href="https://www.justice.gov/maxwell-interview">found here</a>.

Patrick McMullan Archives

Ghislaine Maxwell Reveals Whether She Believes Epstein Committed Suicide

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