Ghislaine Maxwell asks court to throw out her conviction

Ghislaine Maxwell has formally asked a federal court to throw out her sex trafficking conviction, just 48 hours before the latest Epstein files are expected to be published.

Jeffrey Epstein's madam, who is serving 20 years for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex on his behalf, filed a habeas petition, which claims 'substantial new evidence has emerged' showing that she did not receive a fair trial, according to the filing reviewed by ABC News. 

Maxwell wrote: 'This newly available evidence - derived from litigation against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, various financial institutions, and the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as from sworn depositions, released records, and other verified sources - shows that exculpatory information was withheld, false testimony presented, and material facts misrepresented to the jury and the Court.'

The disgraced socialite's last-ditch effort, submitted without an attorney, comes after she has exhausted all of her direct legal appeals, and just two days before the next set of Epstein files is set to be released. 

The documents started to become unsealed after the Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed by the House on November 18. It was then passed by the Senate and signed into law by Donald Trump. 

The law has some exemptions tied to it, including allowing Attorney General Pam Bondi to withhold certain records if their publication could interfere with an active prosecution or criminal investigations. 

The most recent files released by House Democrats showed Trump on three separate occasions. 

One photo showed a bowl of condoms with a caricature of the President's face along with a sign saying, 'Trump condom $4.50.' Each condom was accompanied by the text, 'I'm HUUUUGE!' 

'These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,' said Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee. 'We will not rest until the American people get the truth.'

White House spokesman Abigail Jackson said: 'Once again, House Democrats are selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.

'Here's the reality: Democrats like Stacey Plaskett and Hakeem Jeffries were soliciting money and meetings from Epstein AFTER he was a convicted sex offender.

'The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump Administration has done more for Epstein's victims than Democrats ever have by repeatedly calling for transparency, releasing thousands of pages of documents, and calling for further investigations into Epstein's Democrat friends.

'It's time for the media to stop regurgitating Democrat talking points and start asking Democrats why they wanted to hang around Epstein after he was convicted.'

In another image, Trump can be seen with six women whose faces are censored by the committee at an unknown date and place. 

A second picture depicts the President with a woman sitting on what appears to be a plane. The woman's face was censored by the House Democrats.

Trump was also spotted partying with Epstein at an unknown social event.

Epstein and Trump had a friendly relationship for years before they fell out in the early 2000s.

Former president Bill Clinton was also seen in a photo with Epstein and his convicted mistress alongside another man and woman. The photo appeared to have Clinton's signature.

A disturbing framed image also emerged in the files that showed what appeared to be a person lying down. A black box was placed over their face to protect their identity.

The framed photo was spotted in an image that showed Epstein seated at his desk opposite right-wing political strategist Steve Bannon at the late pedophile's Manhattan townhouse. 

The pair had a professional relationship during 2018 and 2019, when Bannon provided media coaching and advice to Epstein on rehabilitating his public image.

The image's contents cannot be definitively determined, but lurid claims have exploded on social media with commenters calling it 'very disturbing', as well as 'vile and disgusting.'

'What a sicko. What appears to be an incapacitated young girl passed out on a couch. You have to be pretty confident you won't be arrested to have such a deplorable picture on your desk,' a social media user, Leasha Knight, wrote on X.

Two other photos are visible on Epstein's desk, both with black boxes to protect the identities of the people that they show.

It is unclear why House Democrats have chosen to release these specific photos. The estate provided the House Oversight Committee with the images as part of the lawmakers' investigation into Epstein. 

The files have a mandated release date for Friday. 

Epstein was indicted on sex trafficking charges in July 2019 but was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell the following month while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide. 

Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 after prosecutors presented evidence that she procured girls as young as 14 for abuse by Epstein. She is serving a 20-year sentence in Florida. 

Epstein, a New York financier who owned a home in Palm Beach, was a member of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club until he was thrown out for 'creepy' behavior toward young women around 2006. 

Virginia Giuffre, then 16, was working as a spa locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago in the summer of 2000 when Maxwell recruited her as a 'traveling masseuse' for Epstein.​

Giuffre alleged that she was trafficked globally by Epstein and Maxwell, enduring sexual abuse at his properties and being introduced to high-profile figures, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his prince title.

Her account, detailed in 2015 filings, 2019 depositions, and Maxwell's 2021 trial, revealed Epstein's recruitment tactics.

Giuffre, who killed herself in April, absolved Trump of any wrongdoing in her memoir.