Bank of America Settles Lawsuit Over Ties to Jeffrey Epstein’s Sex Crimes

(José Niño, Headline USA) Bank of America has reached a settlement with an anonymous woman who accused the financial giant of enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and profiting from his criminal enterprise.

Lawyers for both parties informed a judge they had agreed to a “settlement in principle” according to court filings made public on Monday that The Financial Times reported. The proposed agreement contains undisclosed terms and awaits judicial approval at a hearing scheduled for early April. Bank of America declined to comment on the matter.

The woman filed her lawsuit in October of last year in Manhattan federal court under the pseudonym Jane Doe. She sought class action status and financial damages while accusing BofA of “participating in and financially benefiting from Jeffrey Epstein’s widespread and well-publicised sex-trafficking operation, as well as the direct financial benefits it received therefrom.”

According to her complaint, the plaintiff first encountered Epstein while living in Russia in 2011. She resided in New York from 2011 to 2019 during which time the convicted sex offender abused her. The lawsuit alleged that Bank of America failed to file suspicious activity reports to law enforcement about questionable transactions “before it was far too late” and ignored red flags the bank had a legal responsibility to report.

“A review of Jane Doe’s account history will show incredibly alarming and erratic banking behaviour,” the initial complaint stated.

The anonymous woman described opening a Bank of America account in 2013 that Epstein and his accountant Richard Kahn allegedly used to pay her monthly rent. This arrangement purportedly created documentation used to “defraud immigration officials.” Kahn transferred $14,000 into the account immediately after it was opened and the plaintiff alleged it “continued to be utilised by Epstein and Kahn through Epstein’s death in 2019 for activities unknown and unexplained to Jane Doe.”

The complaint also described how the woman was added to the payroll of a sham company that paid her through one of her BofA accounts. Federal law requires banks to monitor money laundering and report suspicious activity while blocking prohibited transactions. Epstein’s sex offenses became public knowledge as early as 2006 and the financier signed a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department in 2008.

The lawsuit highlighted an “abnormal” $170 million payment that billionaire Leon Black made to Epstein from his BofA account for alleged “tax and estate planning advice.” Black was scheduled to be deposed as a witness later this month according to court filings. He is not a defendant and his lawyer declined to comment.

Judge Jed Rakoff denied Bank of America’s attempt to dismiss the case just last month. The plaintiff had also filed a motion seeking class action status which could have substantially increased damages.

Boies Schiller Flexner represented the plaintiff. The firm previously secured settlements from JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank in similar Epstein related cases. Those banks paid $290 million and $75 million respectively to settle class action allegations from trafficking victims.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Whistleblower Exposes Alleged FISA Abuse and Political Bias Inside Mueller Investigation

(José Niño, Headline USA) An FBI agent who served on Robert Mueller’s special counsel team alleged that “overzealous thoughts and bias permeated the investigation” into Donald Trump, and that investigators operated with a “let’s get him” attitude throughout the two-year probe into false Russia collusion claims.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel on Sunday revealing details from a December 2020 FBI interview with the unidentified agent. The interview was conducted as part of an internal investigation into Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Brian Auten, a central figure in both the Russia collusion investigation and the Hunter Biden laptop controversy.

“The FD-302 confirms long-standing concerns that political bias rotted the decision-making process within the Mueller team,” Grassley wrote in his letter, which was first reported by The New York Post. “The American public deserve answers.”

According to the interview document, multiple personnel were removed from Mueller’s team because they “saw concerning things and voiced their concern.” The agent described “a general atmosphere of bias” led by prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky. “There were caricatures and cartoons that were anti-Trump” displayed in the office, and the whistleblower even provided a sketch showing where the drawings were hung.

The agent alleged chronic FISA surveillance abuses. When asked about renewing a FISA warrant for a third time, one investigator named Khoury said “No!” because “they were getting all of the information they needed from interviews with the target of the investigation who was cooperating and providing everything they needed.” The agent stated that “there was nothing in the past FISA that aided the investigation other than to prove the Target was being honest with the investigators.”

When the agent pointed out needed corrections to a fourth FISA application, FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith responded “We can’t send this to DOJ.” According to the New York Post, Clinesmith later pleaded guilty to doctoring an email underpinning a FISA application for Trump adviser Carter Page and received 12 months’ probation.

The whistleblower stated there was “no authority for the SCO to open a case on Tom Barrack” and that “the WFO was asked to consider opening on Barrack earlier, but opined the investigation should have been on the agent who was interacting with Barrack, not Barrack himself.” Despite this, Mueller’s team arrested and charged the Trump ally. The New York Post reported that a jury acquitted Barrack in 2022 and he now serves as US ambassador to Turkey.

The document also alleges that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe “referred to President Trump in a derogatory manner” and that prosecutors pressured agent Michelle Taylor to change the tone of an official record. Taylor refused and left the bureau shortly after.

Mueller prosecutor Zainab Ahmad allegedly “brought classified documents to a meeting at WFO without adherence to FBI security policy by bringing her classified notebook to the meeting without a proper carrying bag. What was worse, she came to WFO from her residence, meaning she kept her notebook at the residence.” The agent also witnessed “alcoholic drinks being consumed while in the SCO team area.”

Mueller’s investigation cost taxpayers over $30 million but found no evidence of Russia collusion. Special Counsel John Durham later described the probe as “seriously flawed,” per a report by The New York Post

Grassley has requested all relevant emails, FISA applications, journals, and the “1A file including all anti-Trump drawings and caricatures” by March 29.

Grassley’s letter can be found here.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

BREAKING: Top Trump Official Resigns in Protest of Iran War

(Headline USA) Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran.

Kent, whose wife was killed in 2019 by a terrorist in Syria, said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

“Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran,” Kent said in an open letter.

“This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.”

Kent, a staunch Trump ally who said there was evidence that federal provocateurs were involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill protest, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.

As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.

Before entering President Donald Trump’s administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA.

He referenced those deployments in his letter, saying he prays Trump will reconsider the war before it’s too late.

“I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives,” he said. “I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Western Intelligence Alleges that Iran’s New Supreme Leader is Gay

(Luis CornelioHeadline USA) In a possible Western psyop against the Iranian people, alleged U.S. intelligence reports, cited Monday by the New York Post, suggest that Iran’s newly minted leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may be gay. Khamenei would likely be seen as an unsustainable ruler in Iran for that reason. 

The Post reported that President Donald Trump reportedly could not contain his “surprise and laughter” when briefed on the purported intelligence. 

Three sources told the Post that U.S. intelligence agencies view the “implausible-sounding allegation” as credible rather than an attempt to undermine the new leader. 

Mojtaba Khamenei was named Iran’s next ayatollah after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28 following failed nuclear deal negotiations. 

As reported by the Post, two sources claimed intelligence suggested Mojtaba “has had a long-term sexual relationship with his childhood tutor,” who previously worked for the Khamenei family. 

Another report alleged he made “aggressive” sexual advances toward men caring for him after being seriously injured in the airstrikes. 

“US spy agencies do not have photographic evidence of Mojtaba Khamenei’s alleged sexual attraction to men, but the sources insisted the tip is solid, with one saying it was ‘derived from one of the most protected sources that the government has,’” the outlet added. 

The Post’s reporting follows a 2008 WikiLeaks cable in which a U.K. treatment for Mojtaba cited “impotence,” noting he married “relatively late in life.”  

CBS News also reported Sunday that he had been reportedly snubbed by his father due to “issues” in his personal life. 

Homosexuality is strictly forbidden in Iran, with nonprofits reporting that between 4,000 and 6,000 members of the LGBT community have been executed since 1979. 

Jasmine Crockett Defends Guard Killed in Police Standoff 

(Luis CornelioHeadline USA) Soon-to-be former Rep. Jasmine Crockett broke her silence Monday after one of her top security guards was killed by Dallas police during a chaotic standoff last week. 

The guard, Diamon-Mazairre Robinson, was being sought by the Dallas Police Department under a federal arrest warrant on allegations of impersonating a peace officer. 

As previously reported by Headline USA, Robinson was allegedly driving a vehicle with a plate previously stolen from a military recruitment center. He was also known as “Mike King” within Crockett’s congressional and Senate campaigns. 

New reporting from Fox News says Robinson “had been wearing fake police uniforms pretending he was a federal agent.” His business, Off Duty Police Service, was reportedly founded under his “King” identity and appeared to market itself as a provider of off-duty police security. 

Robinson was killed on March 11 after barricading himself inside his vehicle in a Texas children’s hospital parking lot; police used tear gas to force him out, and once he emerged, he allegedly pointed a weapon at officers, according to the Dallas Police Department. 

In a statement shared on X, Crockett’s campaign largely stood by Robinson despite the troubling accusations leveled against him in recent reporting. Instead, it blasted federal protocols and reiterated previous demands that the U.S. Capitol Police provide security for members of Congress. 

“The fact that an individual was able to somehow circumvent the vetting processes for something as sensitive as security for members of Congress highlights the loopholes and shortcomings in many of our systems,” the campaign wrote. 

“We are fortunate that this is someone who used those loopholes without malice. Furthermore, after an initial review of the limited criminal history of Diamon Mazairre Robinson in Dallas County we’ve been unable to locate any violent offenses,” the statement added. 

The campaign said Robinson never “endangered” Crockett’s team despite previous criminal charges, later adding that he “always conducted himself respectfully and with care for those around him.” 

Headline USA reached out to the Dallas Police Department on Sunday but was unable to reach a media representative. 

 

‘Not Our War’: US Allies Decline Trump’s Request To Send Ships To Open Strait of Hormuz

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Several US-allied nations have already publicly declined President Donald Trump’s request for them to send warships to the Middle East to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which is not being tightly controlled by the Iranian military.

“What does … Donald Trump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to ​do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful US Navy cannot do?” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters on Monday. “This is not our war, we have not started it.”

Japan, which is heavily reliant on oil transported through the Strait of Hormuz, also said it has no current plans to deploy warships to the region. “What is most important is to put our efforts, including our diplomatic efforts, into calming the situation,” said Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

In a post on Truth Social over the weekend, President Trump said that Japan, China, France, the UK, South Korea, and others affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz should send ships to the region. He acknowledged on Monday that some countries aren’t “enthusiastic” about it while claiming that some are supportive of the idea.

“Some are very enthusiastic about ​it, and some aren’t. Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve ⁠protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to ​me,” the president said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that the UK was in talks with allies on opening the Strait of Hormuz and suggested the possibility of using mine-hunting drones already deployed in the region, though he also stressed that London would “not be drawn into the wider war.”

Starmer also rejected the idea that NATO would ever launch a mission to open the Strait of Hormuz. Greece, another NATO member, also ruled out participating in military operations to open the waterway.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.  

Trump Administration Goes After the Media for Negative Coverage of the Iran War

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) In recent days, senior Trump administration officials have increased their criticism and complaints about negative coverage of the US-Israeli war against Iran, with President Trump even suggesting certain media outlets could face “charges for treason.”

Trump made the comments in a long post on Truth Social put out on Sunday night, where he claimed that Iran has been feeding “false information” to the “Fake News media” and said fake AI videos were being circulated.

The president said there was a fake video that showed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on fire. “The story was knowingly FAKE and, in a certain way, you can say that those Media Outlets that generated it should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information!” Trump wrote.

While a fake video of Abraham Lincoln was circulated on social media, there’s no indication that it was picked up by any major media outlets. The only media outlet President Trump named in his post was The Wall Street Journal, which he accused of “false reporting” over a report on five US Air Force refueling tankers being damaged by an Iranian missile strike in Saudi Arabia.

However, Trump also acknowledged that one tanker was damaged and that the other four were back in service, which doesn’t refute the Journal report since it said the aircraft were not fully destroyed and were being repaired.

“The five US Refueling Planes that were supposedly struck down and badly damaged, according to The Wall Street Journal’s false reporting, and others, are all in service, with the exception of one, which will soon be flying the skies,” Trump said.

The president also pointed to comments from Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, who is threatening to revoke the licenses of news broadcasters for their coverage of the war in Iran. “I am so thrilled to see Brendan Carr … looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations,” he added.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has also complained that media outlets haven’t been “patriotic” enough in their coverage. “We will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies,” Hegseth said at a press conference on Friday. “Yet some in this crew, in the press, just can’t stop. Allow me to make a few suggestions. People look up at the TV, and they see banners, they see headlines. I used to be in that business. And I know that everything is written intentionally.”

The US war chief continued, “For example, a banner or a headline: ‘Mideast war intensifies,’ splashing on the screen the last couple of days, alongside visuals of civilian or energy targets that Iran has hit, because that’s what they do. What should the banner read instead? How about, ‘Iran increasingly desperate,’ because they are. They know it and so do you, if it can be admitted.”

Hegseth described a headline that said the “war is widening” as fake despite the conflict spreading across the region. He suggested a “real headline” for an “actually patriotic press” could say “Iran shrinking, going underground,” though senior Iranian officials attended a public Quds Day march in Tehran that same day.

Hegseth also accused CNN of disseminating “fake news” for reporting that the Trump administration “underestimated the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz” and said that he was looking forward to the network being taken over by David Ellison, who, along with his father Larry Ellison, recently acquired CBS News. Larry Ellison is known as a Trump donor and a major supporter of Israel, having donated millions to the Israeli military.

 

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.  

Bondi, Lutnick, Security Guard to Testify on Epstein

(Andrew Rice, The Center Square) The U.S. House Oversight Committee will call several members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet to testify as part of its investigation into the Department of Justice’s handling of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are expected to testify before the oversight committee.

U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the oversight committee, said Lutnick “proactively agreed to appear” before the committee.

“I have done nothing wrong and want to set the recofrd straight,” Lutnick said in a statement.

Lutnick has appeared in several documents throughout the Justice Department’s release of files related to Epstein. Notably, he sent an email to Epstein requesting his presence at a 2015 presidential campaign fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.

Lutnick and Epstein were also neighbors in New York City. Photos of Lutnick and Epstein together also appeared in the Justice Department’s release of documents.

Emails in the documents from 2012 also showed Lutnick, his wife and four children planned to visit Little St. James, the island where Epstein had his estate.

An email released in the documents shows Epstein’s assistant passing along a message to Lutnick saying, “nice to see you” on Dec. 24, 2012.

Lutnick testified about the email exchange in a meeting before lawmakers in Congress.

“We had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour,” Lutnick told lawmakers. “Then we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife all together. We were on family vacation. To suggest that there was anything untoward about that in 2012, I don’t recall why we did it. But we did.”

Lutnick’s meeting with Epstein occurred four years after a deal Epstein made to avoid federal prosecution in 2008 over sex trafficking charges. The deal with federal authorities was unsealed in 2009 but did not become widely known until 2018.

The House Oversight Committee also voted to subpoena Bondi over the Justice Department’s release of documents associated with Epstein. Five Republicans joined Democrats in the vote to subpoena Bondi on March 4.

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., was one of the Republicans who voted to subpoena Bondi. He said he wanted specific answers on some of the problems related to the release.

“I just think it’s time to get some answers,” Burchett said. “She’s in the batter’s box. Let her hit”

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., brought the subpoena before the committee. She said the department’s withholding of certain documents and redaction process has caused more harm to the investigation.

“I’m not impressed with Bondi on the Epstein files, and I’ll make that abundantly clear when I depose her,” Mace said. “She’s lost a lot of support among the base [and] up here as well.”

The Justice Department released files associated with Epstein on March 5 that included interviews with a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Trump when she was young.

Trump and the White House have denied any wrongdoing in relation to the woman’s accusations.

“The world is watching as Pam Bondi continues to aid this White House cover-up,” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said. “We look forward to having her testify under oath before the Oversight Committee as soon as possible.”

Comer also announced that Tova Noel, a correctional officer on duty the night Epstein died in a New York jail, is set to testify before the oversight committee on March 26. Comer said documents released by the Justice Department led the committee to believe Noel may have “information that will assist in its investigation.”

The guards were accused of sleeping and browsing the internet the night Epstein died, according to a grand jury indictment. The indictment accused Noel and another guard of falsely affirming they conducted security rounds.

“To conceal their failure to perform their duties, NOEL and THOMAS repeatedly signed false certifications attesting to having conducted multiple counts of inmates when, in truth and in fact, they never conducted such counts,” the indictment read.

Comer said Lutnick and Bondi will testify in the coming weeks as part of the investigation.

“I’m in communication with them,” Comer said of Bondi and Lutnick. “We’re trying to get them very, very soon.”

 

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has Breast Cancer but Will Keep Working Through Treatment

(Headline USA)  White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer but plans to continue working through her treatment, retaining her place as one of President Donald Trump’s closest aides during a period of political turbulence.

Wiles, 68, announced on Monday that she had been diagnosed over the previous week. She gave no indication she would pull back from her work as she undergoes treatment.

“Nearly one in eight women in the United States will face this diagnosis,” said Wiles, who’s the first woman to hold her position. “Every day, these women continue to raise their families, go to work, and serve their communities with strength and determination. I now join their ranks.”

In a social media post, Trump described Wiles as “one of the strongest people I know” and said her prognosis is “excellent.”

“During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “She will soon be better than ever!”

Within 20 minutes of Trump’s post, Wiles was sitting alongside the president at a meeting of the Kennedy Center board of trustees. In opening remarks, Trump said Wiles had already begun treatment and described her diagnosis as a “minor difficulty” that she would overcome.

It comes as the Republican president confronts mounting challenges on global and national fronts, from the war in Iran and soaring oil prices to this fall’s midterm elections and Americans’ concerns over affordability.

Wiles is a longtime Trump ally who rose from his campaign co-chair to his closest adviser and counsel. She spent decades as a lobbyist and political operative in Florida and led his 2016 effort in the state.

She mostly shuns the spotlight but drew attention in December with an unusually candid Vanity Fair interview in which she made critical remarks about Trump administration leaders including Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump underscored his trust in Wiles in the aftermath, calling the interview a “hit piece” and describing Wiles as “fantastic.”

More than 300,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Treatment varies depending on how early the cancer is caught but usually involves either removing the tumor, followed by radiation, or removing the breast, what’s called a mastectomy. The cancer’s stage, subtype and genetic makeup can help determine if additional treatment of the original tumor is needed, or certain therapy to help prevent recurrence.

In his Monday post, Trump reiterated that Wiles is “tough and deeply committed to serving the American People.”

“Melania and I are with her in every way, and we look forward to working with Susie on the many big and wonderful things that are happening for the benefit of our Country,” Trump said, referring to first lady Melania Trump.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

‘Should We Follow Her?’ Epstein Probed Victims’ Attorney over Her Ties to FBI

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Who is Cara Holmes? It was a question that apparently dogged sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein until his dying day.

Questions and concerns about Holmes, an attorney who briefly worked with lawyers representing alleged Epstein victims, are peppered throughout the “Epstein files”—the trove of Justice Department documents released pursuant to congressional legislation.

“Who is CARA holmes, and what was her role in RRA is still a mystery to us.. She appears to be a former FBI agent out of the Chicago office,” Epstein wrote in an unpublished and undated letter included in the files.

“She joined the Rothstein firm in May of ’09, and joined the Florida bar at the same time. She attended depostions of my pilots and my houseman, She communicated regularly with Brad Edwards and the investigators on my case. The email traffic is extensive.”

According to the files, Epstein was concerned about Holmes’s connection to the FBI. After his private investigators found that Holmes indeed likely used to work in the FBI’s Chicago office, he even proposed stalking her at one point.

‘Should we follow her to work?” Epstein asked in a March 5, 2011, email.

Epstein was apparently concerned because Holmes had proposed pursuing his wider network of associates as part of the Epstein victims’ civil litigation strategy. He also wanted to know whether she was connected to Marie Villafaña, a former Justice Department prosecutor who also wanted to pursue the wider Epstein network before the DOJ struck a plea deal with him.

It’s unclear whether Epstein actually had private investigators follow her. Holmes did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Epstein was known to have spied on FBI agents and local police who investigated him in the mid-2000s.

“Police reports show that Epstein’s private investigators attempted to conduct interviews while posing as cops; that they picked through Reiter’s trash in search of dirt to discredit him; and that the private investigators were accused of following the girls and their families,” the Herald reported in 2018. “In one case, the father of one girl claimed he had been run off the road by a private investigator, police and court reports show.”

A 14-year-old girl who first reported Epstein to the authorities in 2005 also said that he had someone contact her—offering her cash to drop her complaint, but also threatening her if she did not.

“The threat was one of many intimidation and bare-knuckle tactics that accusers and witnesses told police they faced after Florida authorities opened their first investigation into Epstein,” CNN reported in 2019.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.