Topline
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Tuesday he intends to meet with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in the “coming days” about any information she has regarding Epstein’s other associates, as the Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi continue to face scrutiny from the right for their decision not to release further Epstein files.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein pose for a portrait during a party at Donald Trump’s … More Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 12, 2000.
Key Facts
Bondi posted a statement from Blanche Tuesday morning, which said the deputy attorney general “anticipate[s] meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days” after Bondi directed him to seek a meeting with her.
Maxwell, the best-known Epstein associate who assisted him in his sex trafficking scheme, is now serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted on charges of sex trafficking and transporting minors to participate in illegal sex acts.
Blanche suggested he intends to ask Maxwell for information about other Epstein associates who participated in the sex trafficking scheme, saying, “If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.”
The meeting comes as the DOJ has come under fire for its recent memo announcing it will not release any further files on the Epstein case, which Blanche defended Tuesday, saying, “The joint statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 remains as accurate today as it was when it was written.”
Blanche also said the agency stands by its assertion in the memo that “no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, told Forbes in a statement that they’re in talks with DOJ and Maxwell “will always testify truthfully,” adding, “We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.”
Crucial Quote
“For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?” Blanche said on X on Tuesday. “No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits.”
Will Ghislaine Maxwell Cooperate With Prosecutors?
It remains to be seen what Maxwell could disclose to the DOJ, if anything, but the Epstein associate might have a strong incentive to be helpful given she’s serving a 20-year prison sentence and the government could have sway in giving her some leniency. Maxwell is also still in the process of appealing her conviction, most recently asking the Supreme Court to hear the appeal. The Trump administration has so far opposed that appeal, filing a brief with the high court arguing justices should not take up the case. (The court hasn’t issued a decision on whether it will hear the case.) Maxwell’s credibility as a witness faces challenges, given she was previously charged with perjury for allegedly lying during a 2016 deposition, though the charges were later dropped.
What Has Trump Said?
President Donald Trump was asked Tuesday about the Justice Department’s decision to interview Maxwell, saying he didn’t “know anything about it,” but musing “I think it’s something that sounds appropriate to do, yeah.” “I don’t really follow that too much,” Trump claimed about the Epstein files drama, describing it as “sort of a witch hunt.” The president also deflected concerns that Blanche will be conducting the interview, given the deputy attorney general was previously Trump’s personal defense attorney, saying, “[Blanche is] a very talented person, he’s very smart.” Trump has come under increasing scrutiny in recent days for his friendship with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the president suing The Wall Street Journal for alleged defamation Friday after it reported on an alleged “bawdy” letter Trump sent the financier for his 50th birthday. Trump has never been accused of any sexual misconduct in connection to Epstein.
Tangent
The DOJ’s decision to meet with Maxwell comes shortly after the agency abruptly fired Maurene Comey, one of the top prosecutors who worked on the government’s cases against Maxwell and Epstein. It’s still unclear why Comey—the daughter of former FBI director James Comey—was terminated, and if it was at all connected to her work on the Epstein and Maxwell cases. In a letter to colleagues confirming her departure from the agency, Comey took aim at the Trump administration and urged colleagues not to capitulate due to “fear,” writing, “If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain.” “Do not let that happen. Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought,” Comey wrote.
Key Background
Blanche’s statement comes as the fate of the Epstein files in the DOJ’s possession has become a major controversy. The agency’s memo suggesting it would not release further files—which came after figures like Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel long said they would make the documents public—sparked a major backlash from Trump’s base, with high-profile figures on the right calling for Bondi to resign. The memo also struck down various conspiracy theories about the Epstein case, like the existence of an Epstein “client list,” which have long been spread by the right, including by Patel and FBI deputy director Dan Bongino prior to them joining the administration. The news that prosecutors will meet with Maxwell is one of the most significant steps the DOJ has taken so far in response to th