DOJ officials to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell on Epstein case to ask โwhat do you know?โ
The Justice Department plans to reach out to Ghislaine Maxwell, socialite and associate of Jeffrey Epstein, to see she has additional information about the highly scrutinized case.
As lingering questions swirl over the Epstein case after the department announced no further disclosures were necessary earlier this month, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Tuesday that his department plans to contact Maxwell for more information. She was sentenced to 20 years behind bars after her 2021 conviction on charges related to her role in a scheme to abuse multiple minor girls with Epstein.
โJustice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know? At @AGPamBondiโs direction, Iโve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the lawโand no lead is off-limits,โ Blanche said in a statement Tuesday. He expects to meet with her in the next few days.
The move comes weeks after the DOJ published a two-page memo explaining that its โexhaustiveโ review of documents related to the Epstein case โ did not expose any additional third-parties to allegations of illegal wrongdoing.โ The review also provided no evidence to support the existence of a so-called โclient listโ of associates some claim Epstein blackmailed over their alleged involvement in his trafficking scheme.
โThis 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,โ Blancheโs statement reads.
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โPresident 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.โ
Blanche concluded: โUntil now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.โ
David Oscar Markus, one of Maxwellโs attorneys, told CNN that the department and his client were โin discussions.โ
โI 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,โ the lawyer said.
Last week, President Donald Trump called for the release of โany and all pertinentโ grand jury testimony. In motions filed in the Epstein and Maxwell cases, Bondi and Attorney General Pam Bondi asked the court to unseal the transcripts.
The motions, filed last week in the Southern District of New York, ask a judge to lift any protective orders and release the grand jury transcripts โas a matter of public interest.โ
โPublic officials, lawmakers, pundits, and ordinary citizens remain deeply interested and concerned about the Epstein matter. Indeed, other jurists have released grand jury transcripts after concluding that Epsteinโs case qualifies as a matter of public concern,โ the filing states.
The Justice Department will work with the SDNY to โmake appropriate redactions of victim-related information and other personal identifying information prior to releasing the transcripts,โ the motion reads.
The announcement comes after prominent Republicans and Trumpโs MAGA supporters alike have demanded increased transparency around the case.
