"Not good enough": Lisa Wilkinson slams royal family over Prince Andrew saga
Lisa Wilkinson had the opportunity to question the close friend of Ghislaine Maxwell on The Sunday Project following the British socialites arrest last week.
Former New York stockbroker Laura Goldman says Ms. Maxwell was a victim herself.
“She was in love with Jeffrey Epstein,”Ms. Goldman claimed.
“It doesn’t excuse what she did. She really thought that he would marry her. I feel in some ways he gaslit her.
“He kind of convinced her that he was going to do it at some point and then never did. She didn’t see it and kept thinking, if I do one more thing for him, he will marry me. She was also a victim of Jeffrey. You can be a predator and a victim.”
Asked whether that excused Ms Maxwell allegedly creating dozens of more victims, whose lives were ruined, Ms Goldman said: “There’s no excuse, absolutely no excuse. I have no problem with her going to jail. My whole point is, though, that the story is more complicated.”
Wilkinson also delved into the pressure mounting on Prince Andrew as he remains in the UK, refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.
According to Ms Goldman, who Wilkinson said had a “chequered past”, Ms Maxwell was “very loyal” to Prince Andrew and would never reveal anything incriminating about him.
“She feels very loyal to him, he helped her after her father died. He helped launch her in New York society. And (for) that she will never betray him. I also think she’s not sure he did anything wrong. Not saying she didn’t. I think she feels he’s been a victim in this, too.”
Wilkinson took direct aim at Prince Andrew for failing to cooperate with prosecutors, and for using Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as scapegoats to minimise alleged sexual abuse allegations against the Queen’s son.
“This story will simply not go away,” said Wilkinson.
“As of Friday, the woman accused of providing Jeffrey Epstein with underaged girls, is in custody and with Epstein’s death, Ghislaine Maxwell may be the only one alive who knows all the secrets.
“If Laura Goldman is right and Maxwell doesn’t give up information on Prince Andrew, then it’s up to the Queen’s second son to do so himself.
“Not likely, given Andrew claims he doesn’t even remember meeting Virginia, even casting doubt over photograph figure evidence.”
Prince Andrew has claimed that the photo of himself, Ms Maxwell and a teenage Virginia Giuffre could have been doctored. During a “trainwreck” interview with BBC’s Newsnight, the Royal firmly denied he had ever met Ms. Giuffre, and claimed he had “no recollection” of ever meeting her.
He also claimed that on the night when Ms Giuffre has alleged she was forced to have sex with him, he was actually at a Pizza Express restaurant in Woking, Surrey for his daughter’s birthday.
“Sadly, we will never know if that is true, because days after that interview, the police denied a freedom of information request that could have confirmed this, or not,” Wilkinson said.
“What we do know is authorities are eager to speak to him.
“That’s why it is now up to the palace to push for Andrew to front up unconditionally.”
In a statement issued last December, Buckingham Palace said: “It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
The Palace has now stopped responding to requests for comment on the Epstein scandal.
Wilkinson finished her powerful statement on The Sunday Project by saying: “So, who do we believe?“
“Well, as long as Andrew remains under palace protection, we will never know. By any standard, that is simply not good enough.
“For 68 years, the Queen has demonstrated herself to be someone who chooses duty over family. The greater good over personal interests.
“Surely in 2020, for Her Majesty and the royal family to retain any authority and respect, if she believes child sex slavery is a scourge that needs to be eradicated, and has any empathy for the dozens of victims of Jeffrey Epstein, then she simply has no option but to compel Andrew to fully co-operate with authorities.
“To quote former Australian of the Year, David Morrison: ‘The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.’”
On Thursday, Ms Maxwell faced a New York City judge remotely.
Prosecutors accused her of building a rapport with girls as young as 14, then helping Epstein to sexually exploit them.
It is alleged she sometimes also took part in the abuse herself.