Feds want to Question Ghislaine Maxwell in ongoing Epstein investigation
Trump's Deputy AG to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is looking to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell amid the Epstein controversy. Blanche shared a statement :This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead. The joint statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 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. President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. 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. 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. That changes now."
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department wants to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend who is serving a prison sentence for helping him abuse underage girls, a senior official said Tuesday.
What they're saying:
If Maxwell "has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a post on X, adding that President Donald Trump "has told us to release all credible evidence." A lawyer for Maxwell confirmed there were discussions with the government.
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The other side:
A lawyer for Maxwell, David Oscar Markus, said Tuesday in a statement: "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."
Founder, Terrama Ghislaine Maxwell attends the 4th Annual WIE Symposium at Center 548 on September 20, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Zimmerman/WireImage)
Dig deeper:
The overture to attorneys for Maxwell, who in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison, is part of an ongoing Justice Department effort to cast itself as transparent following fierce backlash from parts of Trump’s base over an earlier refusal to release additional records in the Epstein investigation.
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DOJ urges release of Epstein grand jury testimony
President Trump is officially requesting the release of all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jefferey Epstein, subject only to court approval. Dr. Matt Dallek at The George Washington University spoke with LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow about the reasoning behind it and what happens next.
As part of that effort, the Justice Department, acting at the direction of the Republican president, last week asked a judge to unseal grand jury transcripts from the case. That decision is ultimately up to the judge.
The Jeffrey Epstein investigation
The backstory:
Epstein, who killed himself in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14, authorities say.
He couldn’t have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion, prosecutors say.
The Justice Department had said in a two-page memo this month that it had not uncovered evidence to charge anyone else in connection with Epstein’s abuse. But Blanche said in his social media post that the Justice Department "does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead."
He said in his post that, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, he has "communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department." He said he anticipated meeting with Maxwell in the coming days.
Where is Ghislaine Maxwell being held?
In 2022, Maxwell was sentenced to 240 months in prison for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Epstein over the course of a decade, according to federal prosecutors.
Maxwell is serving her 20-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Tallahassee.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from statements made by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who posted about the Justice Department’s intentions on social media platform X. This story was reported from Los Angeles.