The family of Virginia Giuffre, who was among Jeffrey Epstein's most well-known sex trafficking accusers, said that it was shocking to hear President Donald Trump say the disgraced financier "stole" Giuffre from him and urged that Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell remain in prison.
Giuffre, who had accused Britain's Prince Andrew and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager trafficked by Epstein, has been a central figure in conspiracy theories tied to the case. She died by suicide this year.
Her family's statement is the latest development involving Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges, and the Republican president, who was his one-time friend. Trump denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and said he cut off their relationship years ago, but he still faces questions about the case.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday Jeffrey Epstein “stole” young women who worked at his Mar-a-Lago spa, including Virginia Giuffre, one of the disgraced financier's most well-known accusers. Trump claims he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after the incidents.
Trump, responding to a reporter's question on Tuesday, said that he got upset with Epstein over his poaching of workers and that Epstein had stolen Giuffre from his Palm Beach, Florida, club.
"It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been 'stolen' from Mar-a-Lago," the family's statement said.
"We and the public are asking for answers; survivors deserve this," it continued.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted the president was responding to a reporter's question and didn't bring up Giuffre himself.
"The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club for being a creep to his female employees," she said.
The family's statement comes shortly after the Justice Department interviewed Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking and other charges and is serving a 20-year sentence in Tallahassee, Florida. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed Maxwell in a Florida courthouse, though details about what she said haven't become public.
Recommended for you
Maxwell's lawyers have said she testified truthfully and answered questions "about 100 different people." They have said she's willing to answer more questions from Congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony and if lawmakers agree to satisfy other conditions.
A message seeking comment about the Giuffre family's statement was sent to Maxwell's attorney Thursday.
A Trump administration official said the president is not currently considering clemency action for Maxwell.
Giuffre said she was approached by Maxwell in 2000 and eventually was hired by her as a masseuse for Epstein. But the couple effectively made her a sexual servant, she said, pressuring her into gratifying not only Epstein but his friends and associates.
Giuffre said she was flown around the world for appointments with men including Prince Andrew while she was 17 and 18 years old.
The men, including Andrew, denied it and assailed Giuffre's credibility. She acknowledged changing some key details of her account.
The prince settled with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, agreeing to make a "substantial donation" to her survivors' organization.
The American-born Giuffre lived in Australia for years and became an advocate for sex trafficking survivors after emerging as a central figure in Epstein's prolonged downfall.
Her family's statement said she endured death threats and financial ruin over her cooperation with authorities against Epstein and Maxwell.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.