CNN
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The Department of Justice said Tuesday it has reached out to Jeffrey Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell for a meeting amid backlash over the administration’s handling of files related to the accused sex trafficker.
“Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know? At @AGPamBondi’s direction, I’ve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an X post.
Blanche added in a statement posted by Attorney General Pam Bondi on social media that if “Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.”
Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus told CNN, “I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.”
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for carrying out a years-long scheme with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls.
Blanche said he anticipates meeting with Maxwell soon.
A potential meeting comes on the heels of a request from the Justice Department to a federal judge to make public years-old grand jury testimony against Epstein, which took place behind closed doors. The request was made at Trump’s direction in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report about a 2003 birthday letter for Epstein that bore Trump’s name and an outline of a naked woman. The president has denied the letter came from him and is suing the newspaper’s publisher.
The administration has faced continued backlash from some in Trump’s MAGA base over its handling of the Epstein case. Bondi had long vowed to release as many documents in the Justice Department’s possession as possible, but in a memo earlier this month announced that there is no evidence Epstein kept a “client list” or was murdered — and that the department does not plan to release any new documents in the matter.
The decision on whether to release grand jury testimony now lies with a federal judge. It’s unclear how long it will take for anything to be made public.
Before ruling on the matter, the judge must consult with victims and any uncharged person discussed in the testimony, as their identities are protected under federal law.
Some conservative lawmakers have pressed for people involved in Epstein’s case to testify before Congress, including Maxwell and Bondi, even as GOP leaders have made it clear they are eager to move on from the controversy.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said on Monday he thinks the Justice Department “ought to do full transparency, and we ought to have hearings on it,” pointing to Maxwell as a potential congressional witness.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville also said he would “love to see Maxwell testify” before the Senate, while largely deflected blame from Trump for the administration not releasing more information.
CNN’s Kara Scannell, Kaitlan Collins, Hannah Rabinowitz, Ali Main and Manu Raju contributed to this report.
