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Geraldo Rivera slammed for DEFENDING Ghislaine Maxwell and saying she should've got bail

The panel on Fox News' 'The Five' erupted during a discussion on the Maxwell trial

Fox News panelist Geraldo Rivera was slammed by critics after he appeared to defend Ghislaine Maxwell, the alleged procurer for the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying she deserved to get bail and that her trial was "ridiculous".

Epstein and Maxwell have been linked with numerous high-profile people. Epstein has been photographed posing with Bill Gates, while Maxwell has been pictured standing next to Elon Musk. Gates’ links to Jeffrey Epstein have been well documented, but Musk has vehemently denied knowing Maxwell and insisted she “photobombed” him at a Vanity Fair event. Now, veteran journalist Rivera has sparked an uproar after appearing to stand up for Maxwell on Monday, November 29.

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The panel on Fox News' 'The Five' was having a discussion on the Maxwell trial when Rivera slammed his hand on the table and declared, “I am outraged by the Maxwell case. You talked about Darrell Brooks, the creep who ran over his girlfriend and then killed six people in a parade and he was out on a $1,000 bail.” Brooks has been charged with killing six people and injuring over 40 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 21. “Ghislaine Maxwell has been in jail for 17 months for no bail,” continued Rivera. “No bail! She is sitting in prison prior to trial accused, get this, of events that took place between 1994 and 1998.” 

Co-panelists Jesse Watters and Dagen McDowell interjected and explained that Maxwell was a major “flight risk”. However, Rivera wasn't convinced. “A flight risk,” he questioned. “She offered to put up $28.5 million bond.” “She’s going to escape to a country with no extradition,” Watters added. “So you take her and throw her into solitary confinement,” said Rivera, before reiterating that she's been in prison for “17 months.”

“You’re defending a sex trafficker,” said Watters to Rivera. “I am defending justice,” said Rivera. “The prosecutor, in this case, is guilty of political lawyering.”

“She deserves to sit in jail,” said McDowell. “You don’t even know she’s guilty,” Rivera interrupted. “Because she’s a flight risk because she was hiding during Covid,” said McDowell. “She was not hiding,” said Rivera. “She bought a million-dollar house in New Hampshire.”

“Oh yes she was,” said McDowell. “They’re holding her because they don’t have a case,” said Rivera. “They have no case.”

McDowell then explained a federal bail law that called for bail to be denied if the suspect was a flight risk or a danger to the community. “Where is Ghislaine Maxwell going to hide,” asked Rivera. “Where’s she going to hide?” “Everywhere,” Watters noted. “She can hide overseas because nobody knows where the money is,” said McDowell.

“This is ridiculous,” commented Rivera. “Way to stand up for a sex trafficker!” McDowell responded.

There was also a major pushback against Rivera on social media over his controversial stance. "Geraldo Rivera is now defending Ghislaine Maxwell. This is low even for him. Why does Fox News continue to employ this clown?" conservative pundit Brigitte Gabriel tweeted.

"Geraldo Rivera is more concerned about Ghislaine Maxwell not being granted bail than Darrell Brooks being released on a measly $1k for running over a woman with SUV, which allowed him to massacre people at a Christmas parade days later... because Geraldo wasn’t on Darrell’s jet," one Twitter user added.

"Geraldo Rivera is a pedo apologist for Ghislaine Maxwell claiming she is a victim. He's disgusting and anyone who listens to him has a problem," a comment read. "Geraldo Rivera is the only man in America with principle. We should all defend Ghislaine Maxwell. She is a strong woman and also definitely not a flight risk/potentially a spy. Geraldo is defending her cuz he is a good man and definitely not involved at all," another chimed in, sarcastically.