WASHINGTON (AP) — On Thursday, a top official from the Justice Department met with Ghislaine Maxwell, who remains in prison after being the former partner of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Florida meeting, which Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Tuesday he was organizing, is a step in the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to portray itself as open and straightforward. This move comes after significant criticism from segments of President Donald Trump’s supporters due to the earlier decision not to release more records related to the Epstein case.
“Ms. Maxwell addressed every inquiry posed to her. She maintained her cooperation throughout the process, did not claim any privilege, and did not refuse to provide answers. She responded truthfully, candidly, and as thoroughly as she could,” stated attorney David Oscar Markus to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, where the discussion between Maxwell and Blanche took place.
In a social media post Tuesday, Blanche said that Trump “has told us to release all credible evidence” and that if Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the Justice Department “will hear what she has to say.”
Markus said his team was “thankful” the deputy attorney general came to question Maxwell, calling it a “good day.”
Asked if his client could potentially receive a pardon or see her prison term reduced, Markus said: “There’s no promises yet. So she’s just answering questions for now.”
The House Committee on Oversight issued a subpoena Wednesday for Maxwell to testify before committee officials in August.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence and is housed at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She was sentenced three years ago after being convicted of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
Officials have said Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019, but his case has generated endless attention and conspiracy theories because of his and Maxwell’s links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department said it would not release more files related to the Epstein investigation, despite promises that claimed otherwise from Attorney General Pam Bondi. The department also said an Epstein client list does not exist.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Bondi told Trump in May that his name was among high-profile people mentioned in government files of Epstein, though the mention does not imply wrongdoing.
Trump, a Republican, has said that he once thought Epstein was a “terrific guy” but that they later had a falling out.
A subcommittee on Wednesday also voted to subpoena the Justice Department for documents related to Epstein. And senators in both major political parties have expressed openness to holding hearings on the matter after Congress’ August recess.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, has introduced legislation with bipartisan support that would require the Justice Department to “make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to Epstein and his associates.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republican majority leader, Rep. Steve Scalise, both of Louisiana, have said they will address whatever outstanding Epstein-related issues are in Congress when they return from recess.
Epstein, under a 2008 non-prosecution agreement, pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. That allowed him to avert a possible life sentence, instead serving 13 months in a work release program. He was required to make payments to victims and register as a sex offender.
In 2019, Epstein was charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan for nearly identical allegations.
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Williams reported from Detroit.
