The Justice Department plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, the disgraced socialite and former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, in the coming days to see if she has additional information about the highly-scrutinized case.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Tuesday that he had contacted Maxwell’s attorneys to pursue any potential new leads as Trump’s MAGA base excoriates the administration over its handling of the so-called “Epstein Files” after the DOJ and FBI memo revealed this month that there were no more significant disclosures to be made in the case.
“Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know? At AG Pam Bondi’s direction, I’ve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,” Blanche posted on X.
“Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now,” Blanche added.
Maxwell, 63, was sentenced to 20 years in 2021 for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple girls with Epstein. She is being held at the Florida Correctional Institution-Tallahassee. Her attorneys have taken an appeal of her conviction to the Supreme Court.
Shortly after Blanche’s announcement Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Maxwell. Trump said that the subpoena for Maxwell "sounds appropriate" during questions from reporters at the White House.
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The DOJ’s overture to Maxwell is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to attempt to quell outrage in the wake of a July 6 memo from DOJ and the FBI which stated that an “exhaustive” review of documents in the Epstein case “ did not expose any additional third-parties to allegations of illegal wrongdoing.”
The review also found no evidence of a “client list” of high-profile associates linked to the sex offender’s trafficking scheme, the memo stated. The DOJ additionally confirmed an earlier investigation’s findings that Epstein had died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
Blanche reiterated Tuesday that the DOJ was not changing its position on the memo. “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,” the deputy AG wrote.
“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.”
David Oscar Markus, one of Maxwell’s attorneys, told CNN that the DOJ and his client were “in discussions.”
“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,” Markus said.
The Trump administration has found itself at the center of a firestorm over the Epstein investigation after officials, including Bondi, had insinuated that there was much more to be revealed in the case.
Elon Musk, formerly known as Trump’s “first buddy,” claimed in a social media post on X last month that Trump’s name appeared in the Epstein files. The tech billionaire later deleted the post. The president has denied that his name appears in the files.
Last Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published a report about an alleged 50th birthday card that the president reportedly sent Epstein in 2003. The WSJ described the card as a sexually suggestive drawing and containing a reference to “secrets” both men shared. Trump vehemently denied the allegations, and then sued the paper and its owners for $10 billion.
In February, the Attorney General suggested to Fox News that Epstein’s apparent “client list” was “sitting on” her desk. The memo this month stated there was no evidence to support such a list existed. That same month, Bondi also provided right-wing influencers with binders of “Phase 1” Epstein information. But that turned out to contain little that wasn’t already in the public domain.
In the weeks since the DOJ memo, prominent Republicans and Trump’s MAGA supporters have demanded increased transparency around the case. A rift over the memo’s decisive conclusion even erupted from within the Trump administration, with deputy FBI director Don Bongino allegedly informing allies that he may resign in its wake.
The president, meanwhile, has tried to deflect attention from the situation. He has dubbed the Epstein files a “hoax” cooked up by the Democrats and tried to steer reporters’ questions away from the matter. He went so far as to call Republicans “stupid” and “foolish” for pursuing information on the case while claiming he no longer wants the support from his followers who have demanded answers.
But a poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov last week found most Americans — 67 percent — believe the government is hiding evidence related to the late financier.
Amid the mounting media pressure and negative polling, Trump last week asked Bondi to release “any and all pertinent” grand jury testimony. DOJ officials subsequently asked the Southern District of New York to unseal the grand jury transcripts “as a matter of public interest” in both the Epstein and Maxwell cases.
The Justice Department said it would work with the Southern District to ensure victim-related information, and other personal identifying information, was redacted before any release. Experts say these transcripts will only account for a fraction of the files, and a judge would need to approve the release.
