Why is DOJ speaking with Ghislaine Maxwell?
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
US official ends meeting with Maxwell who will ‘welcome any relief’, lawyer says
Meeting over between US official and Ghislane Maxwell, who will ‘welcome any relief’, lawyer says. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said he would reveal what he learned from Maxwell “at the appropriate time” US President Donald Trump was asked on Friday whether he would consider giving Maxwell clemency. Trump suggested the renewed focus on Epstein was the result of an effort by opposition Democrats to distract from his achievements in office. The interest has returned Maxwell, 63, who helped Epstein abuse young girls, to the spotlight, her lawyer said on Friday. The two met for three hours on Friday and that Maxwell answered every question “honestly, truthfully to the best of her ability”, he said earlier. “It’s the first time the government did it. So it was a good day,” he said.
5 hours ago Share Save Madeline Halpert BBC News, New York Share Save
Watch: Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer: A “good day” for his client after DOJ questioning
A second day of meetings between a senior US justice department official and Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded with “no asks and no promises”, her lawyer says. “This is not a situation where we are asking for anything in return for testimony or anything like that,” Maxwell’s attorney David Markus said on Friday. “Of course, everybody knows Ms. Maxwell would welcome any relief.” US President Donald Trump was asked on Friday whether he would consider giving Maxwell clemency. He said he was allowed to do so but had “not thought” about it. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said he would reveal what he learned from Maxwell “at the appropriate time”.
Watch: Trump wants Epstein focus to shift: “I never went to the island”
Pressure has been growing on Trump officials recently to release files related to Epstein, the late convicted paedophile financier, after the president’s pledges to do so while campaigning last year. In his latest comments, Trump suggested the renewed focus on Epstein was the result of an effort by opposition Democrats to distract from his achievements in office. The interest has returned Maxwell, 63, who helped Epstein abuse young girls, to the spotlight. Her meetings with Mr Blanche took place in Tallahassee, Florida, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Mr Markus told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the two met for three hours on Friday and that Maxwell answered every question “honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability”. “She answered every one of them,” he said earlier. “She never did say ‘I’m not going to answer’, never declined.” Mr Markus previously told reporters he was “thankful” that Blanche had come to ask Maxwell questions. “It’s the first time the government did it. So it was a good day.” In a short post on X on Thursday, Blanche wrote: “Today, I met with Ghislaine Maxwell, and I will continue my interview of her tomorrow. The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time.” Blanche said earlier this week that he planned to speak to Maxwell about any information she had on other people who might have been helped by Epstein to sexually abuse girls. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat and fierce Trump critic, took issue with the fact that Trump sent Blanche, his former personal lawyer turned federal prosecutor, to interview Maxwell ahead of her potential public testimony. “The conflict of interest is glaring. It stinks of high corruption,” he said on X.
Getty Images Public focus in the Epstein matter has recently switched back to Maxwell, who helped Epstein abuse young girls
In a post on Truth Social late on Thursday, Trump said the renewed focus on Epstein was a “SCAM” and a “Democrat CON JOB”, and accused Schumer’s party of trying to “distract and obfuscate” from the achievements of the first six months of his second term in office. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump during a May briefing that his name appeared in justice department documents related to Epstein. Trump and Epstein were friends before, according to the president, they fell out in the early 2000s. The White House pushed back, dismissing the WSJ story as “fake news”. But an unnamed White House official told the Reuters news agency they were not denying that Trump’s name appears in the documents. The official pointed to Epstein files disclosed months earlier by the justice department that had included Trump. Being named in the documents is not evidence of any criminal activity, nor has Trump ever been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein case.
Watch: How are Americans reacting to Trump’s handling of the Epstein files?
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell? DOJ turns to Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-partner.
The Justice Department says it won’t release information on sex-trafficking case. But it says it’s in talks with the victim’s lawyer about releasing the information. Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking a minor. She is appealing the conviction, which she says was a result of a deal she made with the father of the victim. She says she is innocent of the charges against her, and the case is being treated as a civil rights case by the U.S. Supreme Court. The case has been in the courts for more than a decade, but no charges have been brought against her. The government says it has no plans to release any more information on the case, which it says is still under investigation. The Justice Department’s decision to not release the information is in response to pressure from the public, including from members of Congress, the White House and the media. The White House says the decision is based on the public’s desire to know more about the case.
The Justice Department and FBI said earlier this month that they won’t be releasing their Epstein-related files. Pressure has mounted since then for the administration to reconsider, including from members of President Donald Trump’s own base who were bitterly disappointed by the announcement.
The administration continues to stick by its stance on the files, but has called for federal courts to release grand jury testimony in related investigations including Maxwell’s case.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a July 22 statement that he was communicated with a lawyer for Maxwell and anticipated meeting with her “in the coming days.” DOJ Epstein died awaiting a sex-trafficking trial in 2019, leaving Maxwell as potentially the best remaining source for uncovering hidden secrets about people who may have colluded with Epstein.
Maxwell was Epstein’s girlfriend for years and has been accused of recruiting minors for the disgraced financier’s predation. Her lengthy relationship with Epstein and role in his efforts to sexually target minor girls raises the question of whether she knows of others who could have been involved in a sex-trafficking ring with Epstein.
Maxwell maintains her innocence and is appealing her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction.
Here’s what to know:
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?
Maxwell, born in England, is the daughter of a prominent British media mogul, Robert Maxwell. Ghislaine Maxwell grew up in riches and joined London’s high-end social scene after earning a university degree from Oxford. When her father died, allegations emerged that he had engaged in business mismanagement and malfeasance. Maxwell subsequently moved to New York City, according to the Guardian.
In the 1990s, Maxwell dated Epstein, who had worked as a financial consultant. Many who knew them together have characterized her as a socialite who provided Epstein with smoother access to the well-connected, and who also supervised his staff.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of trafficking a minor to Epstein for sexual abuse.
She currently has an appeal pending at the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that she should have been shielded from her charges by a deal Epstein struck in 2008, when he agreed to plead guilty to soliciting minors for prostitution in Florida state court.
What was Maxwell convicted of doing?
In 2021, Maxwell was charged by a federal grand jury with helping Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse minor girls from about 1994 to about 2004, including girls as young as 14 years old.
Maxwell attempted to befriend some of the victims, taking them to the movies or shopping, according to the charges. She would then try to normalize sexual abuse by discussing sexual topics with them, encouraging them to provide Epstein with massages, or being present for sex acts between them and Epstein.
After a month-long trial, a jury found Maxwell guilty of conspiring to entice and transport minors for illegal sex acts and of sex trafficking a minor.
Maxwell has long maintained she is innocent of her charges.
Why is the Justice Department approaching Maxwell?
The Justice Department and a lawyer for Maxwell say they are talking amidst demands for transparency surrounding Epstein, who died awaiting his own sex-trafficking trial in 2019. The nature of the communication – and whether the administration is exploring offering Maxwell a deal – is unclear. Trump has the power to pardon Maxwell fully as well as to commute her prison sentence.
In a memo released July 7, the department said it didn’t uncover any “client list” of Epstein associates involved in a sex-trafficking ring, and wouldn’t be releasing its Epstein-related files to the public.
That provoked the ire of Trump’s base because members of his inner circle have for years suggested the government was hiding secrets on Epstein that Trump, if re-elected, could reveal.
Trump’s own attorney general, Pam Bondi, spent months promising greater transparency on Epstein.
“It’s a new day, it’s a new administration, and everything’s going to come out to the public,” she told Fox News host Sean Hannity in March, describing “thousands of pages” of documents.
The department appears to be shifting its focus to Maxwell amidst the persistent uproar that has followed its July memo.
David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s lawyer, confirmed in his own July 22 statement on X that he is talking with the government.
Asked by a reporter July 22 if he supported the Justice Department’s move to interview her, Trump said it “sounds appropriate to do” while also calling the ongoing issue “sort of a witch hunt.”
‘I’ve met her numerous times over the years’: Trump’s relationship with Maxwell
Trump and Epstein were friends for over a decade, often spotted together at parties. Trump rode on Epstein’s private jet at least seven times. Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that Epstein is a “Terrific guy.”
“He’s a lot of fun to be with,” Tump said. “It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Maxwell was arrested in July of 2020, while Trump was serving his first term as president. When he was asked by a reporter that month if Maxwell might turn in powerful men, potentially to cut a deal with prosecutors, he said he didn’t know, but that he had warm wishes for her.
“I don’t know. I haven’t really been following it too much. I just wish her well, frankly,” Trump said. “I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach.”
Maxwell compiled a leather-bound book for Epstein’s 50th birthday in early 2003 that included a lewd letter from Trump, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Trump denies he wrote the letter and has sued the Journal for libel.
Trump’s friendship with Epstein ended around 2004, at about the time they battled over an oceanfront Palm Beach mansion, according to the Washington Post. Trump told a former aide that he banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club. Virginia Giuffre, a then-17 years old Mar-a-Lago employeed alleged that in 2000 Maxwell recruited her from there for sex work under the guise of a masseuse job.
“It’s not news that Epstein was a member of the Mar A Lago club, because it’s the same club Donald Trump kicked Epstein out of for being a creep,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told USA TODAY in a statement.
New disclosures or distractions?
The news about approaching Maxwell comes as Republican leadership is resisting ongoing pressure for an immediate, fuller view of the government’s Epstein files.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, co-sponsored legislation last week to release the government’s Epstein records, with redactions to protect victims, active investigations, and the national defense.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, announced on July 22 he is shutting down the House for summer recess early to avoid a vote on the measure. Johnson there was “no daylight” between the Trump administration and the House, and the White House needs “space” to address the issue.
But whether Maxwell offers anything to satisfy the public outrage could depend on what’s in it for her.
The president has the power to grant her clemency, ranging from a full pardon of her federal conviction to simply commuting her 20-year prison sentence. But to many, that might look more like reducing than enhancing accountability – especially if Maxwell offers little in return.
And if Maxwell had major information she was willing to offer, she’s never discussed that with federal prosecutors before, according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government,” Blanche said in his July 22 statement. “That changes now.”
Ghislaine Maxwell granted limited immunity while giving DOJ ‘100 different people’ linked to Jeffrey Epstein: report
Notorious sex criminal Ghislaine Maxwell answered questions from Justice Department officials about ‘100 different people’ linked to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, an attorney for the disgraced socialite claimed Friday. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had “every single question” answered during the sitdown, Maxwell’s attorney also said, with the British-born convict declining to plead the Fifth Amendment. Her attorney described the commander in chief Friday as “the ultimate dealmaker” and claimed his client had ‘been treated unfairly for the past five years’ and “didn’t get a fair trial.” The 63-year-old is appealing her conviction and sentencing, and legal observers have speculated her willingness to answer questions is tied to a potential clemency grant by President Trump. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in Manhattan of federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges in December 2021. She reportedly initiated the sitdowns with the DOJ and answered questions for roughly nine hours, according to ABC News.
David Oscar Markus told reporters that his client, currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in Manhattan of federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges in December 2021, was “asked about every possible thing you could imagine – everything.”
“This was the first opportunity she’s ever been given to answer questions about what happened,” Markus added. “The truth will come out about what happened with Mr. Epstein and she’s the person who’s answering those questions.”
5 Ghislaine Maxwell was interviewed by DOJ officials on Friday, and gave information on about ‘100 different people’ who were linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Blanche had “every single question” answered during the sitdown, Maxwell’s attorney also said, with the British-born convict declining to plead the Fifth Amendment.
“If she lies they could charge her with lying,” Markus noted.
“They did charge her with lying,” a reporter challenged him, referring to two perjury counts that Markus noted were dropped by the feds after her conviction.
“No one is above the law — and no lead is off-limits,” Blanche posted on X Tuesday in announcing he would speak with Maxwell.
5 Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. ZUMA24.com
Maxwell, 63, is appealing her conviction and sentencing, and legal observers have speculated her willingness to answer questions is tied to a potential clemency grant by President Trump.
Her attorney described the commander in chief Friday as “the ultimate dealmaker” and claimed his client had “been treated unfairly for the past five years” and “didn’t get a fair trial.”
“We hope he exercises that power in a right and just way,” Markus added.
Trump, 79, told reporters after landing in Glasgow, Scotland that “I don’t know anything about the conversation” between Blanche and Maxwell because “I haven’t really been following it.”
“This is no time to be talking about pardons,” the president added after saying hours earlier while leaving the White House that “I haven’t thought” about the idea.
Maxwell reportedly initiated the sitdowns with the DOJ and answered questions for roughly nine hours, according to ABC News.
5 David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, talks with the media outside the federal courthouse, Friday, July 25, 2025, in Tallahassee, Fla. AP
The proffer immunity granted to Maxwell allowed her to answer questions without her responses later being used against her in a criminal case, sources told the outlet.
Proffer immunity is typically granted to individuals prosecutors want cooperation from in a criminal case.
In 2022, the Department of Justice expressed doubts that Maxwell could be truthful, writing in court filings that she displayed a “significant pattern of dishonest conduct” and failed to take responsibility for her heinous crimes.
Court papers the prior year revealed that prosecutors never seriously entertained the prospect of offering the women dubbed “Epstein’s madam” a plea agreement after the financier was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting his own federal trial on Aug. 10, 2019.
5 Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000. Getty Images
According to Markus, Epstein’s attorneys had been informed that “no potential co-conspirators would be prosecuted” as part of his talks with government lawyers following his July 2019 arrest on sex trafficking charges.
“I don’t think President Trump knows that the Justice Department took the position that that promise should not be upheld,” he claimed.
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi teased a full disclosure of federal investigatory files on Epstein during a Fox News interview — including a purported “client list” of high-powered associates — but no such reveal came.
5 David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, talks with the media outside the federal courthouse, Friday, July 25, 2025. AP
On July 6, the DOJ and FBI put out a two-page memo disclosing that there was “no credible evidence” that 66-year-old had a “client list” or “blackmailed prominent individuals” in his sickening sexual exploitation of girls — some as young as 14 years old.
“We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” the memo also stated.
Epstein counted influential politicians and businessmen as his associates — including former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Trump.
The 47th president had a falling out with Epstein in 2004 — and reportedly later banned him from Mar-a-Lago for acting inappropriately with a club member’s daughter.
A Quinnipiac University poll revealed earlier this month that most Americans have disapproved of the Trump administration’s “systematic review” of the DOJ’s evidence on the Epstein case.
Maxwell has also been subpoenaed to be interviewed by the House Oversight Committee on Aug. 11, an occasion on which Maxwell could exercise her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to questioning.
“We have to make a decision about whether she would do that or not,” her attorney said of the prospect of responding to lawmaker queries.
Maxwell attorney after second meeting with DOJ: ‘The truth will come out’
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Ghislaine Maxwell again Friday for more questioning after traveling to speak with her in Tallahassee, Fla. The Justice Department has been circumspect about when it might share any information gleaned from discussions with Maxwell. Maxwell, a longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on sex trafficking charges. She is appealing her 2021 conviction to the Supreme Court, while the DOJ urged the court last week to deny her request.
Blanche met with Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, again Friday for more questioning after traveling to speak with her in Tallahassee, Fla.
“This was a thorough, comprehensive interview by the Deputy Attorney General. No person and no topic were off-limits. We are very grateful. The truth will come out,” Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus said in a statement to NewsNation, the sister network of The Hill.
The Justice Department (DOJ) has been circumspect about when it might share any information gleaned from discussions with Maxwell.
“The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” Blanche said in a Thursday evening post on social platform X.
The interview with Maxwell in Florida comes as President Trump’s administration is under intense pressure from the MAGA base and others to release more evidence related to the Epstein case.
Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on sex trafficking charges.
She is appealing her 2021 conviction to the Supreme Court, while the DOJ urged the court last week to deny her request.
Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Markus said they had not yet discussed a pardon for Maxwell with Trump and said no offers of clemency have been made.
“We’re not going to comment on what we’re hoping for. We just today and yesterday answered questions,” Markus said.
When later pressed on a pardon specifically, he added, “We haven’t spoken to the president or anybody about a pardon just yet.”
Markus also demurred on whether Maxwell would comply with a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee, though she risks criminal charges is she fails to comply with the compulsory process.
“Congress has subpoenaed her to testify. We have to make a decision about whether she will do that or not. That’s been scheduled for the week of August 11, and we haven’t gotten back to them yet on whether we’ll do that,” he said.
Updated at 4:16 p.m. EDT.
Ghislaine Maxwell Can ‘Finally Say What Really Happened’, Says Lawyer
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer spoke to reporters after his client’s second day of interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Attorney David Markus told USA TODAY that Maxwell had been questioned about “probably 100 people” and that she had answered “every possible question” Markus declined to confirm where whether President Donald Trump was the focus of any of the U.S. Department of Justice’s questions. Maxwell was convicted on multiple charges, including sex trafficking of a minor and transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, in 2021. Maxwell has appealed her case to the Supreme Court, but the Court has not decided whether it will hear the case yet.”We just ask that folks, look at what she has to say with an open mind,” Markus said ahead of the second round of questioning on Friday, adding that he and Maxwell were “grateful for this opportunity to finally say what really happened” The DOJ and FBI said there is no “client list” of individuals linked to Jeffrey Epstein and no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer spoke to reporters after his client’s second day of interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Speaking outside Blanche’s downtown Tallahassee, Florida, office, on Friday, attorney David Markus told USA TODAY that Maxwell had been questioned about “probably 100 people” and that she had answered “every possible question.”
However, he declined to confirm where whether President Donald Trump was the focus of any of the U.S. Department of Justice’s questions.
“I’m just not going to talk about the substance,” Markus told the outlet.
Ahead of the second round of questioning on Friday, Markus told gathered media that his client had been “treated unfairly for over five years now,” adding that he and Maxwell were “grateful for this opportunity to finally say what really happened.”
David Oscar Markus, attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, speaks during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, July 24, 2025. David Oscar Markus, attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, speaks during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, July 24, 2025. AP Photo/John Raoux
Why It Matters
Maxwell was convicted on multiple charges, including sex trafficking of a minor and transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, in 2021. Maxwell has appealed her case to the Supreme Court, but the Court has not decided whether it will hear the case yet.
“Despite the existence of a non-prosecution agreement promising in plain language that the United States would not prosecute any co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, the United States in fact prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell as a co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein,” Markus wrote in a petition for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court in April.
Epstein’s case has recently made headlines after the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI said there is no “client list” of individuals linked to Epstein and no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.
Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
What To Know
Markus said Maxwell has endured “terrible, awful conditions for five years.”
“We just ask that folks, look at what she has to say with an open mind, and that’s what Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has promised us, and everything she says can be corroborated, and she’s telling the truth,” Markus said.
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ for comment.
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell’s Lawyer?
Markus is a criminal defense lawyer and founder of Miami-based trial and appellate law firm Markus/Moss.
Markus runs a blog entitled “Southern District of Florida” and hosts a podcast called For the Defense. He also teaches at the University of Miami School of Law and legal education events.
Markus graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Emory University in 1994. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1997.
Why is Ghislaine Maxwell Meeting with the DOJ?
On Tuesday, Blanche said he had communicated with Maxwell’s counsel and anticipated meeting with her in the coming days.
“President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. 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,” Blanche said in a statement.
Blanche added that the joint statement from the DOJ and FBI “remains as accurate today as it was when it was written.”
“Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now,” Blanche said.
Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor and the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, explained why he thinks the DOJ wants to meet with Maxwell.
“You’d want the other participants, especially high-level participants,” Rahmani told Newsweek. “And Ghislaine Maxwell, as Epstein’s right-hand woman, she knows where the bodies are buried. So you would expect someone in her position, who is facing 20 years, to cooperate because there’s a significant benefit to doing so under the United States sentencing guidelines.”
What was Ghislaine Maxwell’s Jail Sentence?
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.
What People Are Saying
David Markus, lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell, in comments to reporters: “She’s got no reason to lie at this point, and she’s going to keep telling the truth.
Markus told reporters earlier today, “If you looked up scapegoat in the dictionary, her face would be next to the definition.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, on X: “Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?”
What Happens Next
“The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” Blanche said on X.
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This story was updated as of 2.25 p.m. ET on July 25 to add additional comment.