Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Ghislaine Maxwell's defense attorneys sought Wednesday to undermine a key accuser's allegation that the British socialite helped financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse the woman for years, starting when she was 14. The trial witness, who has said she's using the pseudonym "Jane" to protect her 22-year acting career, had testified in graphic detail on Tuesday about the alleged encounters in the 1990s, portraying Maxwell as an active participant. During a methodical cross examination, defense attorney Laura Menninger confronted the woman with FBI documents from 2019 and 2020, saying she had told the government her memory was foggy on whether Maxwell was present when Epstein molested her and on whether she ever touched her. Other documents claimed she said that no abuse occurred during a visit to Epstein's ranch in New Mexico. That contradicted her testimony about alleged encounters with him there that she said made "my heart sink into my stomach." The witness denied ever changing her story. She challenged the