DOJ Releases Transcript Of Ghislaine Maxwell Interview

Topline

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell told the Justice Department she never witnessed any “inappropriate” behavior by powerful men connected to Epstein—including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton—according to a full transcript of the interview, though her truthfulness remains under heavy scrutiny.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Key Facts

The government released its full interview with Maxwell, which Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducted over the course of two days in July, after the DOJ said it would interview Maxwell amid the public outcry over the agency refusing to release its full files on Epstein to the public.

Maxwell—who has faced widespread scrutiny concerning her motivations in speaking with the government—absolved President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein in her testimony, telling Blanche she “never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way,” though she acknowledged Trump and Epstein were “friendly like people are in social settings.”

She also said she did not believe President Bill Clinton had ever received a massage from any of Epstein’s sex trafficking victims, and more broadly said she “never, ever saw any man doing something inappropriate with a woman of any age.”

Maxwell did not corroborate the Wall Street Journal’s report on Trump sending a “bawdy” letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday, telling Blanche she did not have any recollection of Trump submitting a letter.

She also categorically denied ever participating in Epstein’s abuse of underage women and insisted she did not know about his abuse of underage women, also denying a number of other reports regarding her involvement with Epstein, including that she recruited masseuses from Mar-a-Lago to work with Epstein, that she was paid $30 million as a “reward” for recruiting women for Epstein and that she introduced the financier to Prince Andrew.

Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus thanked Blanche for making the transcript public in a statement on X on Friday, claiming the full interview makes “clear” that his client “is innocent and never should have been tried, much less convicted, in this case.”

What To Watch For

The transcript of Maxwell’s interview is one of a number of Epstein-related files the Justice Department is turning over to the House Oversight Committee in response to a subpoena for its documents on Epstein, with the DOJ turning over its first tranche of documents Friday afternoon. The committee told Forbes it intends to make those documents public, but it’s unclear when that will happen, as lawmakers intend to review the materials first to ensure victims’ identities are redacted.

What Did Ghislaine Maxwell Say About Trump?

Maxwell broadly praised the president in her interview with Blanche, saying she met the now-president through her father in the 1990s and she “like[s] him, and I’ve always liked him.” The Epstein associate told Blanche that “Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me” and praised his ascendance to the presidency, saying she “admire[s] his extraordinary achievement” in getting to the White House. Maxwell said she “certainly saw” Trump with Epstein and the two were “friendly,” and that both she and Epstein went to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. She didn’t believe the two men were “close friends,” however, and said she never saw Trump at Epstein’s house. When asked if Trump had ever received a massage from one of Epstein’s victims or done “anything inappropriate,” Maxwell responded, “Absolutely never, in any context.”

Why Ghislaine Maxwell’s Testimony Is Problematic

Maxwell’s testimony has come under scrutiny even before the transcript was released, due to the socialite’s history of alleged perjury. Maxwell was charged with perjury in 2020 for allegedly lying during a 2016 deposition in a civil lawsuit about Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse. The charges were later dropped after being separated from the other counts against Maxwell that eventually went to trial, as prosecutors agreed to drop the charges in exchange for Maxwell not pursuing a re-trial on her harsher sex trafficking charges. Maxwell has denied the perjury accusations. Her testimony has also raised questions due to the fact it could have been personally beneficial to her to say favorable things about Trump and absolve him from wrongdoing. Trump has not ruled out pardoning Maxwell, and she was moved to a different prison with much more minimal security following her interview. Her attorney Markus insisted following her DOJ interview that she had answered Blanche’s questions truthfully. Markus claimed Maxwell “wants to tell the truth” and argued there would not be a point to her lying, because anything she said could be “corroborated or disproven.”

Is There An Epstein ‘client List’?

Maxwell denied the existence of a so-called Epstein “client list” detailing the financier’s associates, telling Blanche, “There is no list.” The socialite claimed the existence of the list was a rumor that evolved out of efforts by other parties to detail evidence or names of people associated with Epstein, but there is no list Epstein created that details people involved with his crimes. Maxwell’s testimony is in line with other reports suggesting the “client list” does not exist, including by Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown, who broke the story about Epstein’s widespread sexual abuse.

What Did Ghislaine Maxwell Say About Epstein’s Death?

Maxwell told Blanche she does not believe Epstein’s 2019 death in prison was by suicide, countering the Justice Department’s statement earlier this summer asserting Epstein died by suicide and conspiracy theories suggesting he was murdered are false. “I do not believe he died by suicide, no,” Maxwell told Blanche, going on to say that while she does not know who could have killed Epstein, “In prison, where I am, they will kill you or … somebody can pay a prisoner to kill you for $25 worth of commissary.”

What Did Ghislaine Maxwell Say About Bill Clinton?

Maxwell denied that Epstein was close friends with the former president, telling Blanche, “President Clinton was my friend, not Epstein’s friend.” She said she had “no memory” of Clinton being at Epstein’s properties, including the financier’s private island, and said she didn’t see any “warmth” between Epstein and Clinton. “I didn’t see President Clinton being interested in Epstein,” Maxwell told Blanche. “He was just a rich guy with a plane.” Clinton has long denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Could Maxwell Be Pardoned?

It remains to be seen if Maxwell could receive further benefits in exchange for her testimony to the DOJ, beyond her previous prison transfer to a minimal-security facility. Trump has so far declined to rule out that he could pardon Maxwell or commute her prison sentence, saying in July he “hadn’t thought” about doing so but was “allowed” to. The president has previously spoken favorably about Maxwell, and said after her 2020 arrest that he “wish[ed] her well.” Blanche told Maxwell at the start of her interview that while prosecutors gave her some immunity with her testimony—in that her comments can’t be used against her at trial—the agency was not promising her anything in exchange for her testimony. “The most important part of this agreement is that this isn’t a cooperation agreement, meaning that by you meeting with us today, we’re really just meeting, I’m not promising to do anything,” Blanche told Maxwell.

Key Background

Maxwell has been identified as Epstein’s closest associate, and has been accused of helping Epstein recruit and abuse some of his alleged victims. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison on sex trafficking charges in connection with her work with Epstein, with victims testifying she was personally involved in Epstein’s scheme and groomed women that Epstein went on to abuse. Maxwell is still in the process of appealing her conviction. The DOJ announced Blanche would speak with Maxwell in July as an effort to quell the public outcry over how the agency had handled Epstein’s case, after the DOJ’s memo saying it would not release any further Epstein files to the public sparked a massive backlash from Trump’s base of supporters. In addition to speaking with Maxwell, the DOJ also sought to appease the public by asking courts to unseal grand jury materials in the cases against Maxwell and Epstein, which are believed to be much more limited in scope than the Epstein-related files the DOJ has in its possession. All three courts asked to unseal documents have now rejected the government’s requests.