According to the report, Maples also expressed her concerns directly to Trump and asked him to stop associating with Epstein. But Trump probably only broke with Epstein in 2004 in a dispute over the purchase of a property that both wanted. The reason for Marla Maple’s dislike of Epstein was apparently reports of young women who worked for Trump’s spa club and were sent to visit Epstein’s house. The young women are said to have warned each other about Epstein. He is said to have forced the women into sexual intercourse and exposed himself in front of them during massages. Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019, shortly before a new trial against him could begin.
The future New York mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed a prominent critic of US President Donald Trump as his chief lawyer, thereby signaling a confrontational policy towards Washington. On Tuesday, the 34-year-old appointed Steve Banks as the city’s new chief legal officer, the so-called Corporation Counsel. In this role, Banks leads the legal department of hundreds of attorneys and represents New York in court.
Banks left the renowned law firm Paul Weiss this year in protest after it entered into a controversial agreement with President Trump. The appointment is likely to further escalate tensions between the democratic socialist Mamdani and the Republican president. Mamdani had called Trump a despot, while Trump called the future mayor a communist.
Banks is an experienced administrator who was responsible for the city’s homeless services under Mayor Bill de Blasio. The law firm he later worked for, Paul Weiss, committed in April to providing $40 million in free legal services to causes close to the White House. In return, Trump withdrew an order that he intended to punish the firm for its ties to his political opponents. Banks then resigned and later stated that pro bono legal advice would be transformed under Trump into a tool of political coercion. Mamdani is scheduled to take office on January 1st.
Tara Reade, who accused former US President Joe Biden of rape during the 2020 election campaign, has received Russian citizenship. This is reported by several Russian media and bloggers. Reade accused Biden in spring 2020 of raping her in 1993 when she worked in the then-senator’s office.
