Ghislaine Maxwell on September 20, 2013 in New York City.
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A top Department of Justice official said Tuesday that he intends to meet soon with Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite serving a 20-year prison term for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking enterprise, to ask her “what do you know” about other potential sexual abusers.
The extraordinary announcement by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche comes after weeks of controversy and criticism of the Trump administration for recently reneging on promises to make public more details of investigative files about the late money manager Epstein and Maxwell.
President Donald Trump, who years ago had been a friend of Epstein, has chafed under that criticism and suggested that the furor over the withholding of the Epstein files is a “hoax” cooked up by Democrats.
Blanche’s statement on X, which was retweeted by Attorney General Pam Bondi, raises the question of whether Maxwell will cooperate with the DOJ, possibly in hopes of receiving a reduction in her prison term.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, in his own X post, wrote, “I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully.”
“We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,” wrote Markus.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of crimes related to procuring and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, who killed himself in jail after being arrested on child sex trafficking charges.
She has asked the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of her conviction in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
“President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence,” Blanche wrote in his social media post.
From left, Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida on Feb. 12, 2000.
Davidoff Studios Photography | Archive Photos | Getty Images
“If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,” Blanche wrote.
“Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department.’
“I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days. Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government,” Blanche wrote. “That changes now.”
Blanche’s tweet also said that the “Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead.”
He said that a joint statement issued on July 6 by the DOJ and FBI “remains as accurate today as it was when it was written.”
“Namely, that in the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
Blanche previously served as a criminal defense attorney for Trump when the president was charged in a series of felony cases between his first and second stints in the White House.
Trump on Tuesday told reporters, “I don’t know about it” when asked what he thought about Blanche’s outreach to Maxwell’s lawyer.
“But I think it’s something that would be, sounds appropriate to do,” Trump said.
Asked if he had any concern about Blanche being the one to question Maxwell given his past work for the president as a defense lawyer, Trump replied, “No, I have no concern.”
“He’s a very talented person. He’s very smart,” Trump said of Blanche.
“I don’t really follow that too much,” Trump said of the Epstein controversy, which he has railed about for weeks.
“It’s sort of a witch hunt, just a continuation of the witch hunt.”
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
