INTERNACIONAL
Comer OKs delay for Ghislaine Maxwell’s congressional testimony, denies immunity request
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is delaying Ghislaine Maxwell’s planned deposition until after the Supreme Court weighs her request to overturn her conviction, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
Committee investigators were set to travel to a Tallahassee prison for an Aug. 11 sit-down with Maxwell after lawmakers voted to subpoena her over her close ties to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In a letter sent to Comer earlier this week, Maxwell’s lawyer claimed she «did not receive a fair trial» and petitioned to delay the deposition date until after her case before the Supreme Court was resolved.
«On July 30, the U.S. Supreme Court noticed that your petition for writ of certiorari will be considered at its conference on September 29. In light of this notice, the Committee is willing to delay your deposition until a date following the Court’s certiorari determination,» Comer wrote on Friday.
COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were both indicted on federal sex trafficking charges stemming from Epstein’s years of abuse of underage girls. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
According to the Kentucky Republican’s letter, Maxwell’s lawyer warned she would invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering any questions unless certain conditions were met.
«These conditions include: (1) a grant of immunity, (2) the deposition occurring outside of FCI Tallahassee, (3) access to the Committee’s questions in advance, and (4) the conclusion of your recent appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and potential future habeas petition,» Comer wrote.
He denied her requests for congressional immunity and to get the questions in advance, but wrote the committee would continue to «engage in good faith negotiations.»
Comer also vowed the committee would honor its «long-standing practice of engaging in forthright and detailed discussions about scoping.»
The subpoena was issued to Maxwell after a unanimous vote by both Republicans and Democrats on the committee in late July.
The motion to subpoena Maxwell was offered by Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.
House Oversight and Accountability Committee chairman James Comer responded to Maxwell’s request for a delay. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«Your testimony is vital to the Committee’s efforts regarding Mr. Jeffrey Epstein, including the 2007 non-prosecution agreement and the circumstances surrounding Mr. Epstein’s death,» Comer wrote. «These investigative efforts may be used to inform potential legislation to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.»
The letter comes hours after Fox News learned Maxwell had been transferred from Florida to a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas.
GOP LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER STRATEGY TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS
Congressional investigators are looking to speak with Maxwell over her longstanding close ties to Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he died by suicide at a jail in New York City in 2019.
Maxwell herself was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022 «for her role in a scheme to sexual exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade,» according to a press release by the Southern District of New York.
In the delay request, Maxwell’s attorney argued that «Any testimony she provides now could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool.»
Maxwell had already met with federal investigators last week when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sat down with her in Tallahassee at the direction of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Bondi said in a statement announcing the meeting, «President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.»
Maxwell’s lawyers told Fox News in response to Comer’s letter, «We acknowledge Chairman Comer’s letter and appreciate the Committee’s willingness to delay Ms. Maxwell’s deposition while her case is pending before the Supreme Court. We will continue to engage with Congress in good faith to find a way for Ms. Maxwell to share her information without compromising her constitutional right.»
house of representatives politics,jeffrey epstein,politics,sex crimes,crime world
INTERNACIONAL
DHS juggles ‘mass deportation’ push with Helene relief, adds $124M after Biden backlash
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Department of Homeland Security released a second round of August funding for Hurricane Helene relief this week, even as the agency directs increased resources toward President Donald Trump’s «mass deportation» framework.
Secretary Kristi Noem’s latest $28 million allocation formally offered Sunday brings the month’s total to $124 million in funds from FEMA, which sits within DHS, for the deadly Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend and devastated the Smokies.
The funding will go to road repairs and critical infrastructure restoration – which is especially needed in North Carolina and Tennessee.
In that regard, a crucial stretch of Interstate 40 washed into the Pigeon River near that state line — cutting off the lone major trucking route over the mountains, as large vehicles are prohibited on Tail of the Dragon and other regional crossings.
SENATOR PETER WELCH: I’M A DEMOCRAT AND WE NEED TO FIX FEMA WITH LOCAL CONTROL
Devastation from Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, 2024. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
FEMA funds have also been allocated to debris removal and «life and property» concerns.
«North Carolina families suffering from this unimaginable tragedy were cruelly ignored by the Biden administration,» Noem deputy Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
«Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, FEMA is moving faster than ever before to get Americans the relief they need. This move to continue supporting North Carolina victims of Hurricane Helene is a testament to that fact.»
Trump lambasted former President Joe Biden’s initial response to Helene, claiming he «didn’t like reports that [he was] getting about the federal government.»
Trump alleged that more conservative areas – of which the western half of North Carolina has many, with the notable exception of Asheville – were wrongly being underserved by the feds.
Biden, however, rejected the claim, cutting off a reporter who asked him about it at the time.
NOEM SAYS CRITICISM OF FEDERAL RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOODING IS ‘ALL POLITICS’: ‘DISSERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY’
A stretch of eastbound Interstate 40 in Cocke County, Tenn., near the North Carolina line, collapsed into the raging Pigeon River during Hurricane Helene, stymieing regional commerce. (Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News-Sentinel/IMAGN)
«He’s lying, and the governor told him he was lying. I’ve spoken to the governor. I spent time with him and he told me [Trump is] lying. I don’t know why he does this,» said Biden, who had recently spoken with then-North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp around that time.
Republicans also lambasted then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas when he claimed FEMA was running out of funds amid allegations the agency spent large sums on the migrant crisis, according to the New York Post.
However, Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., who represents a swath of storm-ravaged communities, said in a «fact-check» on his congressional website that FEMA did not divert any disaster response to the border or to foreign aid.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«FEMA’s non-disaster-related presence at the border has always been of major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helene, and I will continue to condemn their deployment of personnel to the southern border, but we must separate the two issues,» Edwards said, while adding that the agency informed him they had enough money for recovery needs.
«Secretary Mayorkas’ statement indicating otherwise was an irresponsible attempt to politicize a tragedy for personal gain,» Edwards said.
Trump later told a campaign rally in Pennsylvania that Biden’s response to Helene was worse than what followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Then-President George W. Bush was memorably lambasted for praising then-FEMA Director Michael Brown’s response – remarking «Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job,» Bush said while surveying recovery efforts in Mobile.
diversity,drones,donald trump,tennessee,north carolina,homeland security
INTERNACIONAL
María Corina Machado agradeció a Milei haber declarado grupo terrorista al Cartel de los Soles
María Corina Machado, líder política opositora al régimen dictatorial de Nicolás Maduro, agradeció este martes al presidente argentino Javier Milei el decreto que declaró como grupo terrorista al Cartel de los Soles.
Machado, perseguida por la dictadura de Maduro e imposibilitada de presentarse a elecciones, remarcó el compromiso del jefe de estado argentino que se sumó de esta forma a lo actuado por Ecuador y por Paraguay en las últimas semanas. «Querido Presidente Milei, en nombre de los venezolanos le agradezco su firme y decidido apoyo a la causa justa por la Libertad y la democracia de Venezuela, así como el respaldo y cariño del pueblo de la Argentina“, indica el texto publicado en X.
“Nuestro pueblo ha enfrentado con inmensa valentía y dignidad a un régimen criminal narco-terrorista que ha provocado intencionalmente miseria, violencia y la huida de millones de ciudadanos”, subrayó Machado.
La líder política de la oposición venezolana enfatizó además la voluntad de cambio definitivo que atraviesa el pueblo de su país, sumido en una severa crisis humama, social, política y económica. “Hoy tenemos una sociedad unida, organizada y decidida a conquistar su Libertad para traer a nuestros hijos de vuelta a casa”, dijo.
“Sabemos que también contamos con el apoyo de los pueblos hermanos de las Américas y con los genuinos líderes democráticos del mundo. ¡Venezuela será libre!“, concluyó.
El Gobierno argentino declaró organización terrorista al “Cártel de los Soles”, que comandan Maduro y Diosdado Cabello. La administración Milei dispuso esta mañana incluir a ese grupo narcocriminal en el Registro Público de Personas y Entidades vinculadas a Actos de Terrorismo y su Financiamiento (RePET).
La declaración de “organización terrorista”, según informó el Gobierno, responde a los compromisos internacionales asumidos por la República Argentina en materia de prevención y combate al terrorismo. Y se enmarca en la normativa vigente y busca fortalecer la protección del sistema financiero nacional.
La resolución fue adoptada tras una coordinación entre el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, que encabeza Gerardo Werthein y el Ministerio de Seguridad, de Patricia Bullrich.
“Declaramos al Cártel de los Soles como organización terrorista y narcocriminal. Maduro y su séquito son narcoterroristas. Ni en la Argentina ni en ningún lugar del mundo van a poder llevar a cabo sus actividades criminales. Para este Gobierno, el que las hace, las paga. Acá o donde sea”, afirmó Bullrich, en un mensaje publicado en su cuenta de X.
El 14 de agosto, días después de que el Tesoro de los Estados Unidos dispusiera una recompensa de 50 millones de dólares para quien aportara información que lleve a la captura de Maduro, el gobierno de Daniel Noboa designó al Cartel de los Soles como organización terrorista.
La disposición se formalizó mediante un decreto ejecutivo y forma parte del estado de “conflicto armado interno” que el mandatario mantiene desde inicios de 2024.
Con la inclusión del Cartel de los Soles en la lista de organizaciones terroristas de Ecuador, el gobierno de Noboa amplía su ofensiva contra las redes criminales que operan en el país.
La estrategia, respaldada por operativos conjuntos de Policía y Fuerzas Armadas, ha implicado detenciones masivas y la ocupación de territorios considerados bajo control de grupos armados. Las autoridades no han precisado el alcance de la presencia del Cartel de los Soles en Ecuador, pero el CNI deberá presentar un informe con sus hallazgos y coordinar acciones con agencias extranjeras.
Por su parte, días después, fue el gobierno de Santiago Peña en Paraguay el que dispuso una medida similar. El decreto presidencial fue firmado el pasado 22 de agosto. En él, Peña señala: “Desígnase a la organización delictiva transnacional denominada ‘Cartel de los Soles’ como organización terrorista internacional. Refréndese el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores“.
INTERNACIONAL
La hiperlujosa villa de verano de la reina Máxima y el rey Guillermo sobre el Egeo pone incómodos a los holandeses
La casa de la discordia
Intervino el gobierno griego
La heredera holandesa, la princesa Amalia, junto a su mamá. Foto: EFELa isla de Spetses
Máxima sigue de vacaciones
Los reyes con sus tres hijas y su perro Mambo. Foto: EFE
La realeza española asiste al casamiento del príncipe Nicolás de Grecia, en Spetses, en 2010. Foto: Reuters¿Una casa más cerca?
Qué dijo Ariel García Furfaro en su declaración
“Unidos”: Andrés Gil rompió el silencio y habló de su romance con Gimena Accardi
Tras el escándalo, el Gobierno quiere que la ANDIS pase al Ministerio de Salud para controlar las licitaciones
Los funcionarios Lugones y Vilches evitaron dar explicaciones en Diputados por la polémica en el área de Discapacidad
En medio del escándalo por los audios de Spagnuolo, el Gobierno modificará el sistema de contrataciones de la Agencia Nacional de Discapacidad
Tomás Palacios camino al Santos de Vojvoda y Neymar
Chile organizó una colecta para que la familia del hincha que fue operado por fractura de cráneo pueda viajar a la Argentina
Confirmado: Susana Giménez vuelve con un programa de los más esperados
El fuerte cruce entre Victoria Villarruel y Mayra Mendoza por el caso de los audios
