Ghislaine Maxwell declines to testify as defense rests case
CBSN
New York — Ghislaine Maxwell's defense rested its case Friday after two days of presenting evidence on the British socialite's behalf. Not among that evidence: testimony from the longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate herself.
Around a half-hour after Maxwell told the court Friday she would not testify in her own defense because "the government has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt," attorney Bobbi Sternheim rested.
U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan had asked the 59-year-old British socialite to stand in court Friday afternoon, explaining that Maxwell had the right to either testify in her own defense or decline to.
Monterey, California — The battle over President-elect Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, may become a test of loyalty for Republican stalwarts — some of whom stood at the center of a bid 10 years ago to remove Hegseth as the head of a veterans' charity over allegations of financial mismanagement, repeated intoxication and sexual misconduct.
Washington — Republicans have celebrated holding onto their narrow majority in the House, adding to their flip of the Senate and the White House for a trifecta in Washington next year. But President-elect Donald Trump's selection of a number of House Republicans to fill top posts in his administration is pulling from an already shallow bench, temporarily whittling the GOP majority down further as Trump takes office in January.