Ghislaine Maxwell appeals to Supreme Court and Trump to overturn her Epstein conviction
"President Trump built his legacy in part on the power of a deal—and surely he would agree that when the United States gives its word, it must stand by it," argued the attorney for Epstein's former partner, who wants to enforce a longstanding plea agreement.
A photograph of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.
Ghislaine Maxwell asked the Supreme Court Monday to review her prison sentence for sex trafficking of minors with her ex-partner Jeffrey Epstein.
"No one is above the law—not even the Southern District of New York," her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, publicly maintained. The attorney was referring to a 2007 agreement signed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, in which it pledged not to bring charges against potential Epstein conspirators who stepped forward.
However, the Department of Justice argues that the U.S. Attorney's Office that reached that agreement did not have the power to negotiate for other districts in the country. Maxwell was ultimately convicted in New York, not Florida.
"This case presents a straightforward and important
question about the government’s obligation to honor
its promises in plea and non-prosecution agreements," Markus and his wife, Mona, both on the defense team, wrote in their petition to the highest court.
They also accused the DOJ of trying to "distract" from that central question by "reciting a lurid and irrelevant account of Jeffrey
Epstein’s misconduct." "But this case is about what the
government promised, not what Epstein did."
Moreover, the Markuses point out that although their client was neither a party nor named in the plea agreement, that one explicitly covers "any potential
co-conspirators of Epstein." "She is therefore," they assert, "an intended benefciary of the agreement, and she has standing to enforce it."
Maxwell - SCOTUS by Santiago Adolfo Ospital
Santiago Adolfo Ospital.
Appeal to SCOTUS and Trump
"President Trump built his legacy in part on the power of a deal—and surely he would agree that when the United States gives its word, it must stand by it," David Oscar Markus also wrote Monday on his social networks. "We are appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to the President himself."
The public plea to the Republican comes after he said he had not considered a pardon for Maxwell: "I'm allowed to give her a pardon," he noted at the time, but, "Nobodys approached me with it, nobody's ask me about it."
A day earlier, Maxwell had met with Todd Blanche, assistant U.S. attorney general. A six-hour meeting that the defense attorney defined as "very productive", assuring that his client had answered all the questions asked by the official.
The rise of the Epstein case
Trump's DOJ handling of the case drew criticism from both the Democratic Party, which the president accused of using the case to "distract" the country, and from his own Republican base.
A letter Trump allegedly dedicated to Epstein for his birthday further inflamed tempers. The president then demanded the newspaper that revealed it, the Wall Street Journal, its parent company and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. Subsequently, the same newspaper claimed that other high-profile figures, such as Bill Clinton, had signed similar letters
.
Maxwell: subpoenaed to testify before Congress
Last week, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Maxwell to testify under oath on Aug. 11, in what would be his first public testimony.
Led by Scott Perry, members of a subcommittee issued subpoenas additionally for Bill and Hilary Clinton, seeking to clarify their relationship with Epstein's former associate:
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