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What did Virginia Giuffre say about Donald Trump
Virginia Giuffre repeatedly refuted allegations that President Donald Trump was involved in the crimes of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in sworn testimony and her memoir.
One of Epstein’s most prominent accusers said she did not believe Trump was involved in any of Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors.
Although she has made no allegations against Trump, she has described meeting him in contexts unrelated to Epstein’s crimes.
Why It Matters
Newly disclosed emails and court documents from investigations into Epstein, released by the House Oversight Committee, have renewed scrutiny on Trump’s relationship with both Epstein and Giuffre.
With both political parties invoking the scandal in ongoing debates, the precise nature of Trump’s interactions with Epstein and whether he was alleged to have participated in Epstein’s criminal activities remain central questions.
Trump has also faced internal pressure from within his own MAGA base to disclose the full details of his relationship with the disgraced financier.
As divisions persist over whether the scandal implicates more Democrats or Republicans, the factual accounts of those directly involved, including Giuffre, are central to understanding any political or legal implications.
The inclusion of Trump and former President Bill Clinton in the newly released correspondence underscores the scandal’s bipartisan reach and the ongoing public demand for transparency regarding Epstein’s network of associates and political friends.
Both Trump and Clinton deny any wrongdoing and have never been charged with criminal activity.
Trump also said earlier this year that he declined an invitation to go to Epstein’s private island. “I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down, but a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments, I turned it down. I didn’t want to go to his island,” he said.
Newsweek reached out to the Clinton Foundation and the White House outside of normal working hours via the contact forms on their websites for further comment.
What To Know
The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday released more than 20,000 pages related to Jeffrey Epstein, including emails referencing Trump, as part of ongoing inquiries into Epstein’s criminal activities and relationships.
Among the released correspondence is a 2011 email from Epstein to his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, in which Epstein stated: “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump.. [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him.”
The emails released by the House Oversight Committee included the name “Virginia,” which the White House asserted referred to Virginia Giuffre.
Names of victims were redacted initially in accordance with their families’ wishes, according to Representative Robert Garcia, the leading Democrat on the US House Oversight Committee, as per BBC News.
While an email released by the committee quoted Epstein as saying, “Trump knew about the girls,” Giuffre’s account and those of other key witnesses—including Maxwell’s recorded testimony—do not corroborate any allegation against Trump.
Maxwell herself reportedly stated to the Justice Department that “Trump acted as a gentleman” and denied observing any inappropriate behavior by him.
What Giuffre Has Said About Trump
Giuffre’s own account, both in sworn depositions and her posthumously published memoir Nobody’s Girl, provides a consistent narrative regarding Trump.
While Trump and other high-profile individuals are mentioned, no new accusations or suggestions of any inappropriate behavior by him have emerged from Giuffre’s previous statements, and the record remains consistent with her longstanding position: she did not witness or allege any misconduct by Trump related to Epstein’s crimes.
In a November 2016 deposition, unsealed as part of the so-called “Epstein document dump,” Giuffre said: “I don’t think Donald Trump participated in anything. That would have to be another assumption. I never saw or witnessed Donald Trump participate in those acts, but was he in the house of Jeffrey Epstein? I’ve heard he has been, but I haven’t seen him myself, so I don’t know”.
Although Giuffre further testified that she never saw Trump and Epstein together, she did say they were good friends. But she only encountered Trump at Mar-a-Lago during her employment, and that Trump “never flirted with me.”
In her memoir, Giuffre alleged an initial meeting with Trump when her father, employed at Mar-a-Lago, introduced her for a locker-room attendant job.
She said: “Trump couldn’t have been friendlier, telling me it was fantastic that I was there. ‘Do you like kids?’ he asked. ‘Do you babysit at all?’”
She also recalled attending a lavish Halloween gathering in October 2000 at the Hudson Hotel in New York City, writing in her memoir: “On Halloween, along with other guests that included Donald and Melania Trump, Maxwell and Prince Andrew attended a party hosted by German supermodel Heidi Klum at The Hudson, a swank hotel.”
What People Are Saying Now
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “The Democrats are using the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax to try and deflect from their massive failures, in particular, their most recent one — THE SHUTDOWN!”
He added: “The Democrats cost our Country $1.5 Trillion Dollars with their recent antics of viciously closing our Country, while at the same time putting many at risk—and they should pay a fair price. There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our Country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!”
In a statement following the disclosure of new emails, a White House spokesperson said Giuffre “repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn’t have been friendlier’ to her in their limited interactions.”
Addressing the renewed focus brought by the document releases, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the emails were “selectively leaked” by House Democrats to “liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.”
“The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover. These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President,” Representative Robert Garcia, the leading Democrat on the US House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
Annie Farmer, a key Epstein accuser and witness in Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial, called for “the full release” of the so-called Epstein files: “The estimated one thousand women and girls who were harmed by Epstein and his associates deserve full transparency.”
What Happens Next
The release of the emails and thousands of pages of Epstein-related correspondence has further fueled demands for greater transparency and a comprehensive investigation into the extent of Epstein’s associations and possible abuses.
Survivors and advocacy groups are pressing Congress and law enforcement for the full public release of all related documents.
Lawmakers have indicated potential additional disclosures in the coming months.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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