#Ghislaine Maxwell# Jeffrey Epstein# Trump# Bill Clinton# Epstein Files# DOJ transcript# Epstein death# cover-up allegations
IBNS-CMEDIA: The Justice Department on Friday released the transcript of a weeks-old interview with convicted deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
It marked one of two steps by the White House to quell backlash over its handling of the Epstein files—a controversy that has unsettled even President Donald Trump’s supporters, CNN reported.
The other step, a push to unseal grand jury testimony, has been described by judges as a diversionary tactic with little substance.
Epstein was arrested again on July 6, 2019, on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. He died by hanging in his jail cell on August 10, 2019.
Maxwell denies wrongdoing, casts doubt on crimes
In her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell did not implicate anyone in misconduct and insisted Epstein had no client list.
She denied recruiting women for Epstein, denied witnessing sexual abuse, and even suggested she never saw “any man” behave inappropriately.
“I never, ever saw any man doing something inappropriate with a woman of any age,” she said.
She also dismissed claims about hidden surveillance cameras in Epstein’s properties, despite reports and victims’ accounts suggesting otherwise.
On recruiting Virginia Giuffre from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Maxwell first denied the claim, then softened her answer: “I don’t remember anybody that I would have [recruited]. But it’s not impossible that I might have asked someone from there.”
Disputes Epstein’s cause of death
Maxwell questioned the official finding that Epstein died by suicide. “I do not believe he died by suicide, no,” she said, while rejecting theories that he was killed over blackmail material.
Instead, she suggested a more ordinary explanation: “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.”
Her comments are likely to fuel further speculation, especially as polls show a majority of Americans believe the government is hiding information about Epstein’s death.
Praise for Trump amid legal troubles
Maxwell, whose lawyer has hinted at hopes for a pardon or intervention, took time to praise Trump.
“I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now. And I like him, and I’ve always liked him,” she said.
She has recently been moved to a lower-security prison camp—an unusual transfer that the administration has not explained.
Blanche reminded her she had limited immunity for the interview but added, “I’m not promising to do anything” for her.
Well-known names surface in transcript
Contrary to earlier promises not to mention uncharged individuals, the transcript included references to Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Harvey Weinstein, among others.
Maxwell denied seeing any misconduct by them. She stressed that Clinton “absolutely never went” to Epstein’s island, directly contradicting Trump’s repeated claims that Clinton had visited it dozens of times.
“He never [did],” she said. “Absolutely never went. And I can be sure of that because… I don’t believe there’s any way he would’ve gone to the island had I not been there.”
Yet Maxwell’s denials are overshadowed by her own conviction for conspiring with Epstein, raising doubts over the credibility of her testimony.
