Ghislaine Maxwell Was Honored at Clinton Global Initiative Event Years After Sex Abuse Allegations Surfaced, Report Reveals

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Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was celebrated at a prestigious Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference in September 2013—more than five years after allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation had first emerged against her, according to a new report from CNN.

Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges, was publicly recognized at the 2013 CGI annual meeting as a “Commitment to Action” leader for her ocean conservation nonprofit, the TerraMar Project. Attendees told CNN that being acknowledged in this way was a “rare, prestigious” honor.

Allegations linking Maxwell to Epstein’s recruitment of underage girls had circulated since at least 2009. That same year, she was even served with a subpoena in lawsuits filed by 24 accusers as she exited a CGI event, according to Page Six. By 2011, Clinton staffers had reportedly barred her from official functions after extensive media scrutiny.

Despite that ban, CNN reports Maxwell was among a small group granted complimentary tickets to the 2013 conference—a perk so uncommon that one source said it likely required personal approval from either Bill or Hillary Clinton.

A Clinton spokesperson denied that the former president personally intervened on Maxwell’s behalf, stressing that hundreds of complimentary passes were distributed at the staff level that year.

“This is about someone working on ocean conservation attending a charitable conference 12 years ago, along with thousands of other people, and nothing more,” the spokesperson told CNN. “As we have consistently said, the Clintons know nothing about Jeffrey Epstein’s terrible crimes.”

The TerraMar Project shut down in 2019 following Epstein’s arrest on federal trafficking charges. Maxwell’s attorneys later cited her nonprofit work—and even claimed she had helped “launch” CGI—in an unsuccessful bid for leniency at her sentencing.

Maxwell’s ties to the Clintons, however, extend far beyond the 2013 CGI appearance. She and Epstein were photographed visiting the White House during Bill Clinton’s presidency in the 1990s, and flight logs show Clinton took at least 16 trips on Epstein’s private jet to international destinations where Maxwell was often present. Maxwell also maintained a personal friendship with Chelsea Clinton, vacationing with her in 2009 and attending her 2010 wedding.

In 2019, a Clinton family spokesperson told Vanity Fair that Chelsea and Maxwell had become “friendly” through a mutual friend, but insisted Chelsea had no knowledge of the accusations until years later.

The renewed scrutiny over Maxwell’s presence at CGI comes as the House Oversight Committee expands its probe into Epstein’s network of elite associates. Earlier this month, both Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed and are scheduled to testify under oath in October.

FBI Raids John Bolton’s Homes in Probe of Alleged Classified Document Mishandling

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Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton is under renewed investigation for allegedly mishandling classified national security documents, with FBI officials telling The Post that criminal charges should be pursued.

Federal agents raided Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office Friday morning, seeking evidence related to allegations he improperly transferred highly sensitive materials to a private server and shared them with family members before his dismissal from the Trump White House in September 2019.

Senior FBI officials said the allegations were first identified in 2020 through a “very specific intelligence capacity” that flagged the potential transfer of documents from Bolton’s White House desk to his wife and daughter. The investigation, which was distinct from the earlier probe into Bolton’s 2020 book The Room Where It Happened, carried into the Biden administration but was later “shelved,” according to sources.

“The [Biden administration] had probable cause to know that he had taken material that was detrimental to the national security of the United States, and they made no effort to retrieve it,” one senior FBI official said.

Some investigators characterized the case as “air-tight” and raised concerns that the Biden administration’s decision to halt the probe may have been politically motivated, given Bolton’s vocal criticism of President Donald Trump.

The matter resurfaced after FBI Director Kash Patel, confirmed in February, requested briefings on sensitive cases. Sources said Patel initially believed the Bolton file pertained to the closed investigation into his book but was told it involved an entirely separate matter that had not been pursued.

The raid was launched Tuesday in an effort to uncover further evidence regarding the alleged mishandling of classified information.

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Trump Mobilizes National Guardsmen to Assist With Illegal Immigration and Crime Crackdown

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President Donald Trump is mobilizing approximately 1,700 National Guard troops across 19 states in support of his broader effort to combat illegal immigration and crime, according to multiple reports.

Fox News reported Friday that Guard members will be activated in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. The deployments are expected to run from August through mid-November.

While the troops will support federal operations, they will remain under the authority of their state governors, Stars and Stripes noted.

A U.S. Defense official told Fox that the mobilized soldiers will play a supporting role in a “sweeping federal interagency effort,” serving both as logistical backing and a visible deterrent. The Guard members will assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with case management, transportation, and administrative tasks linked to migrant processing. Those duties may include collecting personal data, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, and photographing individuals in custody.

The move comes amid a broader campaign by the Trump administration to tighten enforcement of immigration laws and address urban crime. Violent crime in Washington, D.C., has dropped 22 percent in the past week, according to Breitbart News. The decline follows Trump’s recent executive actions invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which placed the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and activated Guard forces in the capital.

The latest deployments mark a significant expansion of the administration’s use of the National Guard as both an operational and symbolic tool in addressing two of Trump’s central policy priorities: immigration enforcement and public safety.

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9/11 Families Slam Soaring Salaries of Memorial Executives as Museum Faces Mounting Losses

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Families of September 11 victims are blasting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum over skyrocketing executive salaries, even as the nonprofit continues to post steep financial losses and rely on taxpayer support.

The museum, built to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks, attracted a reported 9,000 visitors a day last year but still lost nearly $20 million, according to its latest IRS filings. Despite charging $36 for general admission and up to $85 for combined tours, the institution reported $93 million in revenue in 2024 — including $4.5 million in taxpayer funds — against $112 million in expenses.

Leading those expenses were sharply rising pay packages for top executives. President and CEO Elizabeth Hillman, who took over in 2022, earned $856,216 last year, including a base salary of $775,084, retirement contributions, and benefits — a 63% increase from her predecessor’s final salary.

Other senior leaders also saw significant pay hikes:

Executive Vice President Joshua Cherwin collected $486,298 in 2024, a 78% increase since 2020.

Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Allison Blais made $458,652.

Director Clifford Chanin’s pay rose 66% in three years, reaching $444,999.

Chief Financial Officer David Shehaan received $432,958, nearly four times what he earned in 2019.

Overall payroll at the museum grew to $34 million in 2024, up from $22 million in 2020. Of its 411 employees, 13 earned more than $100,000.

The revelations have drawn sharp criticism from families of those lost in the attacks, who view the lavish compensation as an affront to the memorial’s mission. “It’s a slap in the face,” one family member said, pointing to the raises as excessive while the institution bleeds red ink and continues to depend on public funding.

The controversy echoes earlier backlash in 2020, when the museum paid out executive bonuses despite mass layoffs and furloughs during the pandemic, even as it reported a $47 million deficit that year.

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Raskin: Ghislaine Maxwell Prison Interview Is a ‘Whitewash and a Cover-Up’

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Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) sharply criticized a newly released Department of Justice interview with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, calling it an “absolute whitewash and a cover-up.”

Speaking on MSNBC’s All In Friday evening, Raskin said Maxwell’s remarks contradicted the facts established at her trial and dismissed the experiences of victims. “It’s really an astonishing performance because contrary to everything that was found at trial and everything we know, Ghislaine Maxwell basically accused the underage victims of lying,” Raskin said.

The Maryland congressman noted that Maxwell denied witnessing any inappropriate sexual contact between Jeffrey Epstein and underage girls, and even went out of her way to defend former President Donald Trump. According to Raskin, Maxwell “gave a clean bill of health to President Trump, which is what that was all about, and complimented his rise to power.”

MSNBC host Chris Hayes also raised questions about the transparency of the transcript, pointing out that there were reports of an off-the-record portion of the discussion between Maxwell and her lawyer, Todd Blanche. “I want to say we don’t know if it’s complete,” Hayes said, adding that it was unclear whether the transcript reflected the full scope of Maxwell’s comments.

The interview emerged alongside the release of the first batch of 33,000 documents related to the case, which have been provided to the House Oversight Committee. Raskin said the materials would need to be reviewed carefully, but he urged the public to view Maxwell’s comments with skepticism.

“So, you know, I think people can see this for what it is,” Raskin said. “It’s an absolute whitewash and a cover-up.”

The interview and accompanying documents mark the latest chapter in the ongoing scrutiny of Epstein’s network, raising fresh questions about what information remains sealed and how much the public will ultimately learn.

Trump to Patrol DC With Cops, Military Tonight as Part of His Crime Crackdown in the Capital

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President Trump told conservative radio host Todd Starnes Thursday he plans on tagging along with DC police and National Guard members as they patrol the capital this evening.

“I’m going to be going out tonight, I think with the police and with the military of course,” the president said. “So we’re going to do a job — the National Guard is great, they’ve done a fantastic job.”

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Thursday marked 10 days since Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department and called out the National Guard in response to a series of high-profile crimes in the district.

Yesterday, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth treated National Guard members to lunch at DC’s Union Station.

(Read more from “Trump to Patrol DC With Cops, Military Tonight as Part of His Crime Crackdown in the Capital” HERE)

Russia Hammers Ukraine With One of the Largest Air Strikes of the War

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Russia launched one of its biggest aerial attacks of the year on Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 ballistic and cruise missiles overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said Thursday, while a recent diplomatic push to stop the three-year war is trying to gain momentum.

The attack mostly targeted western regions of the country, the air force said, where much of the military aid provided by Ukraine´s Western allies is believed to be delivered and stored. The strikes killed at least one person and injured 15 others, according to officials.

It was Russia´s third-largest aerial attack this year in terms of the number of drones fired and the eighth-largest in terms of missiles, according to official figures. Most such Russian attacks have hit civilian areas.

The strikes occurred during a renewed U.S.-led effort to reach a peace settlement following Russia´s February 2022 invasion of its neighbor. U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, and at the start of this week hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House. (Read more from “Russia Hammers Ukraine With One of the Largest Air Strikes of the War” HERE)

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Trump Calls Netanyahu a ‘War Hero’ and Adds: ‘I Guess I Am, Too’

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President Trump praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel as a “war hero” for ordering his country’s forces to bombard Iran’s nuclear sites — and then said that the same label should apply to himself.

In an interview aired Tuesday with Mark Levin, the conservative talk show host and author who is a prominent supporter of the president, Mr. Trump described Mr. Netanyahu as a “good man.” His words echoed the mood of self-congratulation over the strikes on Iran when the two leaders met at the White House in July.

“He’s a war hero, because we work together. He’s a war hero,” Mr. Trump said of the Israeli leader. “I guess I am too,” he added.

Israel in mid-June launched waves of airstrikes against Iran, hitting important nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan. It killed much of the country’s military chain of command along with several nuclear scientists. Then, on June 22, the United States used large bombs to strike the Iranian nuclear site at Fordo, which is buried under a mountain. (Read more from “Trump Calls Netanyahu a ‘War Hero’ and Adds: ‘I Guess I Am, Too’” HERE)

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U.S. Deploys Warships to Venezuela in Trump’s Cartel Crackdown

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The United States has deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to waters off Venezuela as part of President Trump’s escalating campaign against Latin American drug cartels, U.S. officials confirmed this week.

According to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson will operate in the region over the coming months in support of counter-narcotics missions. The deployment marks one of the largest U.S. naval shows of force in the Caribbean in recent years.

The move underscores President Trump’s strategy of using the military to pressure cartels he blames for flooding U.S. communities with fentanyl and fueling violence through cross-border trafficking and smuggling networks. Trump has argued that traditional law enforcement and diplomatic measures have failed to stop the cartels, vowing instead to “take the fight directly to them.”

The president has also increased pressure on Mexico, warning President Claudia Sheinbaum that the U.S. military could be deployed inside Mexican territory if her government fails to rein in cartel activity. Sheinbaum has firmly rejected the idea of U.S. intervention but has pledged to intensify Mexico’s anti-cartel operations.

In February, the U.S. formally designated Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, El Salvador’s MS-13, and six major Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The designations give federal agencies expanded authority to pursue their members, finances, and global networks.

The crackdown also ties into Trump’s broader immigration agenda. The Department of Homeland Security reports that more than 324,000 illegal immigrants have been deported since the start of the year — about 70 percent with criminal records or cartel ties. Another 1.2 million individuals are estimated to have left the U.S. voluntarily under the administration’s stepped-up enforcement measures.

At sea, the U.S. Coast Guard has tripled its presence along the southern maritime approaches, focusing on detecting and interdicting drug and human smuggling ventures. Officials say the addition of the destroyers will expand surveillance and interdiction capabilities, creating what amounts to a layered defense against cartel networks operating in the Caribbean and South America.

The deployment of U.S. warships near Venezuela is expected to strain Washington’s already tense relationship with Caracas, which has long accused the U.S. of using counternarcotics operations as a pretext for intervention. Still, U.S. officials maintain the mission is focused squarely on dismantling trafficking pipelines, not sparking new conflict.

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Kentucky Judge Slain by Sheriff Accused of Running Courthouse ‘Like a Brothel’

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New allegations have surfaced against a rural Kentucky judge who was gunned down in his own chambers last year — painting a disturbing picture of a courthouse turned into a hub for sex-for-favors schemes and illicit parties.

Judge Kevin Mullins, 53, was shot execution-style inside his Letcher County chambers last September, allegedly by his longtime friend and county sheriff, Shawn Stines. Now, one of Mullins’ reported victims claims the slain judge used his position of power to coerce young women into performing sexual favors in exchange for leniency, money, or simply to stay out of trouble.

Tya Adams told NewsNation’s Banfield that she was pressured into taking part in what she described as sex parties involving Mullins and other influential figures in the small town of Whitesburg.

“We would do sex parties and perform shows and have sex with them for money, things like that,” Adams alleged. “It was consensual. But it was the thing that we were so young, and then they used it against us and to destroy our lives later.”

Adams said she feared Child Protective Services could be used against her if she refused, describing a culture where silence was expected. “Who would believe it anyway? Because the whole town was doing it. Nobody cares. They’re all swingers. It’s all a big party to them. It was just so normal,” she said.

Sarah Davis, a former deputy jailer in Letcher County, told the outlet she had long heard “nasty and sickening” stories about Mullins’ alleged misconduct and was even invited to one of the parties herself.

“Pretty much everybody in the county knows,” Davis said.

The allegations align with past claims. In 2022, during a probe into deputy sheriff Ben Fields — later jailed for raping and coercing a female inmate — another woman told investigators that Mullins was involved. She said she personally saw the judge engaged in sex acts in his chambers and alleged Fields had videotaped encounters involving young women.

It remains unclear whether Mullins’ alleged misconduct was tied to his violent death. Prosecutors say Sheriff Stines, who had been close friends with the judge for decades, had lunch with Mullins just hours before the killing. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Stines making several phone calls from the judge’s office before opening fire.

After the shooting, Stines surrendered immediately, telling officers: “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid.” His attorney has described the killing as a crime of passion brought on by “extreme emotional disturbance.”

The allegations against Mullins — of running his courthouse “like a brothel” — have further shaken the small Appalachian community still reeling from his killing.