The Justice Department on Friday made public the long-awaited transcripts of a weeks-old interview with convicted Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The release of Maxwell’s interview was one of two moves the White House undertook in an attempt to quell mounting outrage over its handling of the Epstein files. The controversy has dogged the Trump administration for weeks and even drawn criticism from the president’s own supporters.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche Interviews Ghislaine Maxwell
Attorney General Pam Bondi and other senior officials had raised expectations about the documents’ release but later backed away from their initial promises. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has made a series of false and misleading statements, leading Epstein’s victims to accuse the administration of orchestrating a cover-up.
Another step the administration touted – requesting the unsealing of grand jury testimony – has yielded little. Two judges suggested the move appeared to be a “diversion” meant to signal transparency without delivering it.
Although Maxwell’s interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche adds little new information to the public record on Epstein, the transcripts contain several noteworthy points, especially against the backdrop of the administration’s faltering response.
Ghislaine Maxwell Praises Trump, Who Holds Power to Pardon Her
During the interview, Maxwell repeatedly praised President Donald Trump, who was known to socialize with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s and who retains the authority to pardon her.
Her defense attorney, David Oscar Markus, has publicly expressed hope that Trump will grant her clemency “in the right and just way.”
Markus added that Maxwell would be willing to testify before Congress if Trump extended a pardon first.
Also Read: Epstein, Princess Diana And A Secret London Meeting? Ghislaine Maxwell’s Testimony Raises Questions
Trump acknowledged questions about his pardon authority when asked by reporters in Scotland on July 28, though he described it as “inappropriate” to comment further.
When asked about Trump’s ties to her and to Epstein, Maxwell said the president had always treated her with kindness.
“And I just want to say that I find, I, I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the President now,” she said. “And I like him, and I’ve always liked him.”
Maxwell stressed that she never saw Trump engage in inappropriate behavior.
“I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody,” she said. “In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”
Ghislaine Maxwell About Bill Clinton
Maxwell also addressed former President Bill Clinton’s association with Epstein, clarifying that Clinton was closer to her personally than to Epstein.
“President Clinton was my friend, not Epstein’s friend,” she said.
Clinton was reported to have flown on Epstein’s plane about 26 times, but Maxwell insisted this amounted to “one journey.” She emphasized that she never witnessed Clinton receive a massage during those flights.
“That would’ve been the only time that I think that President Clinton could have even received a massage,” she said. “And he didn’t, because I was there.”
Ghislaine Maxwell Denies Epstein Died Of Suicide
The FBI previously concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, according to a July memo explaining its refusal to release Epstein-related files. Maxwell openly challenged that conclusion.
“I do not believe he died by suicide, no,” she said.
At the same time, she dismissed conspiracy theories suggesting Epstein was murdered at the behest of powerful individuals to keep him silent.
“Of course it’s possible,” Maxwell acknowledged. “But I don’t know of any reason why, and I don’t believe in the blackmail or in any of this, I don’t think Epstein had a hit on like that.”
She called such theories “ludicrous,” noting that Epstein could have been “a very easy target” before he was jailed in 2019. If Epstein was murdered, she suggested, it was likely “an internal situation” involving someone inside the jail.
Ghislaine Maxwell Denies On Epstein’s Financial Records
Blanche questioned Maxwell about financial records showing Epstein transferred nearly $30 million to her or her entities across several years. The transactions included $18.3 million in 1999, $5 million in 2002, and $7.4 million in 2007.
By 2005, Epstein was already under investigation for sex crimes involving minors. Prosecutors later alleged the payments were tied to Maxwell’s role in recruiting underage girls.
Maxwell rejected that claim, saying some transfers may have gone to accounts managed by Epstein’s accountants or could have been business loans.
“He never paid me … for any nefarious reason,” she said. “I don’t think this money is mine.”
Ghislaine Maxwell Maintains Innocence Despite Convictions
Throughout the two-day interview, Maxwell insisted on her innocence, despite her 2021 conviction for conspiring to entice and transport minors for illegal sex acts, as well as sex trafficking a minor to Epstein. She currently has an appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
She maintained that she never knowingly recruited underage girls for Epstein or witnessed abuse.
“I never saw a single masseuse ever look unhappy or not come back or whatever,” she said.
The Justice Department’s transfer of Maxwell to a lower-security prison following her interview has further angered Epstein’s victims.
Must Read: Ghislaine Maxwell Insists Epstein Didn’t Die By Suicide, Points To Real Cause Of Death
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
