Ghislaine Maxwell said she never saw President Donald Trump behave inappropriately around anyone in Jeffrey Epstein's circle, a transcript of her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has revealed.
Blanche interviewed Maxwell, a former associate of Epstein’s, last month over two days in Tallahassee, Florida. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse young girls. About a week after the interview, the 63-year-old British socialite was moved to a minimum-security prison camp in Bryan, Texas.
Blanche sat down with Maxwell as the Trump administration attempted to quell backlash from Republicans and Democrats alike over its handling of the Epstein investigation.
In the wide-ranging interview, Maxwell responded to questions about several famous people with alleged connections to Epstein, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.
Maxwell told Blanche she never witnessed Trump, who was once friends with Epstein, doing anything “inappropriate.”
“I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting,” Maxwell said, according to the transcripts. “I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”
In the bombshell interview:
- Maxwell said she “absolutely never” saw Trump behaving inappropriately with anyone in Epstein's circle.
- She does not believe Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell in New York in August 2019 – but said she had no idea who might have been responsible.
- There is “no list” of Epstein’s clients or famous associates, Maxwell claims.
- Maxwell said she does not believe she ever recruited a masseuse from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
- She praised Trump during the interview, saying he had accomplished an “extraordinary achievement in becoming the President now” and that she “liked him.”
- The British socialite said claims that Epstein paid her $30 million over several years to recruit young women are “categorically false.”
- Maxwell says she did not introduce Epstein to Prince Andrew.
Maxwell praises Trump’s ‘achievement in becoming the President’
After Maxwell said she never saw Trump doing anything inappropriate, Blanche asked: “Did you ever hear Mr. Epstein or anybody say that President Trump had done anything inappropriate with masseuses or with anybody in your world?”
“Absolutely never, in any context,” Maxwell replied.
Maxwell told Blanche she met Trump in the 1990s through her father, the controversial British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. She described Trump as “always very cordial and very kind to me.” Maxwell said she admires Trump’s “extraordinary achievement in becoming the President now.”
“And I like him, and I've always liked him,” she added. “So that is the sum and substance of my entire relationship with him.”
There is ‘no list’ of Epstein’s clients, Maxwell claims
Blanche also asked Maxwell about Epstein’s so-called “client list” or “black book” that has been said to contain the names of his alleged associates. Maxwell said the list doesn’t exist.
“So there's been a lot of conversations about whether Mr. Epstein maintained, like, a list of people, like a book of famous people that he knew,” Blanche said. “Like a, it's called a black book or a client list or a list. Did you know of the existence of any such list?”
“There is no list,” Maxwell responded.
The FBI and Justice Department released a joint memo last month similarly claiming that Epstein’s client list doesn’t exist, despite Attorney General Pam Bondi telling Fox News the list was sitting on her desk waiting to be reviewed in February.
Maxwell says she doesn’t remember recruiting women from Mar-a-Lago
Maxwell also said she doesn’t “recall” any masseuses from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate giving Epstein a private massage, and that she doesn’t remember recruiting any masseuses from the estate.
This comes after Trump claimed last month that Epstein “stole” young women working at his Mar-a-Lago spa. Trump said this included Epstein’s alleged victim Virginia Giuffre, who claimed Maxwell recruited her in 2000 while she was working as a locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago.
“Do you know whether masseuses from Mar-a-Lago's spa ended up giving massages to — private massages to Mr. Epstein?” Blanche asked. “I'm not asking for what you may have read, but from — at the time, from your personal knowledge, do you know whether that's true?”
“I — I don't — I don't recall,” Maxwell responded. “Is it possible? Yes. But I don't remember – I don't remember that. So I don't want to — I don't recall that, but it's possible.”
Blanche then asked: “Do you have a recollection of you ever recruiting a masseuse from Mar-a-Lago spa to give — to go give a private massage to Mr. Epstein?”
“I've never recruited a masseuse from Mar-a-Lago for that, as far as I remember,” Maxwell said. “I can't ever recollect doing that.”
Maxwell also told Blanche she denies the claim that Epstein paid her millions to help recruit young women.
“What I'm trying to just make sure I — that I understand, is that the idea that you were paid $30 million between '99 and 2007, in order to — by Mr. Epstein to reward you for recruiting young women,” Blanche said. “That is in your — you're saying that is categorically, completely false?”
“That is categorically false, correct,” Maxwell replied.
Maxwell does ‘not believe’ Epstein died by suicide
Blanche also asked Maxwell about Epstein’s death. Epstein died in an apparent suicide in a New York City jail cell in 2019, shortly after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges. While there have been conspiracy theories surrounding his death, the Justice Department and FBI confirmed in a memo last month that he died by suicide.
Blanche said: “Do you — so you think he was — he did not die by suicide, given all the things we just talked about.”
“I do not believe he died by suicide, no,” Maxwell responded.
“And do you believe that — do you have any speculation or view of who killed him?” Blanche asked.
“I — no, I don’t,” Maxwell said.
Blanche continued to press Maxwell on why she thinks Epstein didn’t die by suicide.
“I ask that because, if you don't believe that there's any truth to the allegations of blackmail or that he had kind of a list, or that he had reasons to have people hate him, why would somebody kill him in prison?” Blanche asked.
“In prison, where I am, they will kill you or they will pay – somebody can pay a prisoner to kill you for $25 worth of commissary,” Maxwell said. “That's about the going rate for a hit with a lock today.”
Maxwell went on to note that if he had been killed, it was due to an “internal situation” at the prison. Blanche then asked Maxwell if she has “any reason to believe” that Epstein may have been murdered to “keep him quiet or because he had information on rich and powerful people.”
“I do not have any reason to believe that. And I also think it's ludicrous, because if that — I also happen to think if that is what they wanted, they would've had plenty of opportunity when he wasn't in jail,” Maxwell responded. “And if they were worried about blackmail or anything from him, he would've been a very easy target.”
Maxwell addresses connections with former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew
Blanche asked Maxwell about other famous people that she and Epstein may have been connected with, including former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.
Blanche asked if Maxwell was aware of Clinton ever visiting Epstein’s private island.
“He never. Absolutely never went,” Maxwell responded. “And I can be sure of that because there's no way he would've gone -- I don't believe there's any way that he would've gone to the island, had I not been there. Because I don't believe he had an independent friendship, if you will, with Epstein.”
Maxwell also told Blanche that she did not introduce Epstein to Prince Andrew. Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year, said she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with Andrew when she was 17. Prince Andrew has denied the claims and paid Giuffre an out-of-court settlement in 2022.
“I did not introduce him to Prince Andrew,” Maxwell told Blanche. “I did not introduce him to Prince Andrew or to Sarah Ferguson. That is a flat untruth. I'll start with that.”
Justice Department sends Epstein files to House Oversight Committee
Earlier Friday, the House Oversight Committee also received the first round of Epstein files from the Justice Department, the Associated Press reports. This comes after the committee subpoenaed the files earlier this month.
“The Committee intends to make these records public after thorough review to ensure any victims’ identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted,” a spokesperson for Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said. “The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations.”
Maxwell’s interview came as the Trump administration faced blowback over its handling of the Epstein investigation. The Justice Department and FBI released a memo on July 7 indicating there would be no further disclosures related to the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. Democrats and Republicans alike criticized the move and have since demanded more transparency from the administration.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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