Relatives of a well-known survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse expressed “outrage” over the Justice Department’s decision to release Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony transcripts to a federal prosecutor last month, claiming it gave Maxwell an opportunity to “alter historical facts.”
“These transcripts contradict the conviction of felon Ghislaine Maxwell for child sex trafficking,” stated Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family. They continued, “This injustice undermines the accounts of numerous courageous survivors, including our sister, who risked their safety to ensure her conviction.”
Last month, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche questioned Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking charges, as part of an initiative by the Trump administration to gather more information regarding Epstein’s offenses.
On Friday, the Justice Department released audio and transcripts of the two-day session, during which Maxwell denied various accusations made against her and Epstein, including those from Giuffre, who tragically died by suicide in April.
Giuffre accused Maxwell of grooming her for abuse by Epstein and of trafficking her to powerful associates, including Prince Andrew, Duke of York. She also sued Andrew in 2021 for sexually abusing her while she was a minor, an accusation he denies. They eventually settled the lawsuit confidentially in 2022.
In her interview with Blanche last month, Maxwell dismissed Giuffre’s claims against Andrew, stating they “don’t hold water” and questioned crucial details of the case, such as a purported photograph of Giuffre with Andrew.
“I believe that this whole thing was manufactured, and I can point you to some potentially corroborating evidence of this,” Maxwell told Blanche.
Giuffre’s family accused the deputy attorney general of not sufficiently challenging Maxwell’s assertions during her testimony, suggesting that by publicly releasing the interview, the Justice Department provided Maxwell the opportunity to dispute her case in the court of public opinion.
“During [Deputy Attorney General] Todd Blanche’s bizarre interview, she is never challenged about her court-proven lies, providing her a platform to rewrite history,” the family statement read.
Maxwell also said she never witnessed any inappropriate conduct from any man, including President Donald Trump. She denied the existence of an incriminating “client list” of individuals that benefited from Epstein’s crimes and maintained her innocence after being convicted of sex trafficking in 2021.
Giuffre’s family has for months been critical of the Justice Department’s interactions with Maxwell amid the Trump administration’s renewed push to uncover more information about Epstein’s crimes, a key topic of interest among Trump’s base.
In late July, after Maxwell met with Blanche, the family urged the government not to provide Maxwell any favorable treatment, describing her then as a “monster who deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her life.”
Trump has not ruled out the idea of pardoning Maxwell, who he has known for several decades. When asked last month about the prospect of granting Maxwell legal relief, Trump said, “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.”
Absent a pardon from Trump, Maxwell is seeking legal relief from the Supreme Court, which has indicated it will decide whether to review Maxwell’s appeal of her conviction during a private conference in September.
Giuffre’s family also condemned the Justice Department’s decision to transfer Maxwell to a minimum-security prison following her meeting with Blanche.
“By moving convicted felon Maxwell to a minimum-security, country club prison, the DOJ sends a disturbing message that child sex trafficking is acceptable and will be rewarded,” the family said Saturday in a statement.
Federal officials moved Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator and confidant, from a co-ed, low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, to a women-only, minimum-security facility in Bryan, Texas. The Bureau of Prisons at the time did not specify why Maxwell was transferred to the facility, which also houses reality television star Jen Shah and disgraced Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes.
The release of the Maxwell transcripts came as the Justice Department also partially fulfilled a subpoena by the House Oversight Committee for all files related to the federal investigation of Epstein. The Justice Department released roughly 33,000 documents, however Democrats on the committee have said the “vast majority” of the records included in the first batch were already public.
