July 24 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Justice met with Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, for six hours at a federal courthouse in Florida on Thursday.

Maxwell and her attorney, David Markus, attended the meeting with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who sought more information regarding the former Epstein case.

Markus called the meeting a “productive day” and said Maxwell answered all questions raised by Blanche, according to CNN.

“He took a full day and asked a lot of questions,” Markus said of Blanche. “She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer.”

Markus said Maxwell answered all questions “truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability.”

He declined to comment on the nature of the questions and the general context of the meeting.

Maxwell was originally scheduled to meet Justice Department representatives at the minimum-security prison in Tallahassee, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.

Instead, they met at a U.S. attorney’s office inside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, as first reported by ABC News.

“For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: What do you know?” Blanche said on Tuesday in a post on X.

Maxwell has been subpoenaed by House Oversight Committee Chairperson Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., for a deposition slated to take place on Aug. 11.

Maxwell was convicted and sentenced in June 2022 as an accomplice in Epstein’s sex-trafficking scheme and was denied a review by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that a recent review of Epstein-related documents by the Justice Department and FBI allegedly found that President Donald Trump’s name appeared several times in the files.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., during a press conference on Wednesday, said making the Epstein files public needs to be done in a way that protects the victims mentioned in the files, some of whom are minors.

He also stressed that only “credible evidence” should be revealed.

“We understand [Johnson’s] general concern,” He said on Wednesday. “Congress should always vet the credibility of its witnesses.”

Maxwell was looking forward to her meeting with the DOJ, Markus added.

The DOJ has denied rumors that Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in custody, had a list of clients who participated in the abuse and exploitation of minors.

Further rumors involve President Donald Trump’s past relationship with Epstein, although Trump has since called the public’s interest in the Epstein files a “scam” and a “hoax” created by his political opponents.

A top US Justice Department official has spent hours interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as President Donald Trump struggles to tamp down a furore over his handling of the explosive case.

Warning: This story contains references to sexual abuse and suicide.

David Markus, Maxwell’s attorney, said the former British socialite answered every question she was asked during a day-long meeting with Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida.

Epstein survivor says it’s time for the truth to finally be told Photo shows A woman with a serious expression on her face. Danielle Bensky was waiting for the bathroom at a New York nightclub when a woman asked if she’d be interested in massaging her client — a wealthy financier named Jeffrey Epstein.

“She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer,” Mr Markus said.

” She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly, and to the best of her ability. ”

Mr Markus said he was not going to comment on the “substance” of the meeting with Mr Blanche, Mr Trump’s former personal lawyer for his hush money trial and two federal criminal cases, or whether there would be further discussions.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Mr Blanche said that Mr 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”.

Mr Markus said his team was “thankful” the deputy attorney-general came to question Maxwell, calling it a “good day.”

David Markus said Ghislaine Maxwell answered all questions truthfully. (AP: John Raoux)

Asked if his client could potentially receive a pardon or see her prison term reduced, Mr Markus said: “There’s no promises yet. So she’s just answering questions for now.”

Mr Blanche said on Thursday in a social media post that he met with Maxwell and the interview would continue on Friday.

“The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” he said in a post on X.

The House Committee on Oversight issued a subpoena on Wednesday for Maxwell to testify before committee officials in August.

Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of recruiting underage girls for Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial in his own sex trafficking case.

Earlier this week, Mr Blanche said if Maxwell had “information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say”.

“No one is above the law — and no lead is off-limits,” he said.

Donald Trump and his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss were pictured with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000. (Getty Images: Davidoff Studios)

Mr Trump, 79, was once a close friend of Epstein and The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the president’s name was among hundreds found during a DOJ review of the so-called “Epstein files”, though there has not been evidence of wrongdoing.

Trump reportedly told his name in Epstein files Photo shows Donald Trump and Karoline Leavitt listening to journalist. US President Donald Trump was allegedly told his name was in the Epstein files multiple times, according to senior administration officials who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.

Mr Trump filed a $US10 billion ($15 billion) defamation suit against the Journal last week after it reported that he had penned a sexually suggestive letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003.

Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate convicted in connection with his activities, which right-wing conspiracy theorists allege had included trafficking young models for VIPs.

The meeting with Maxwell marks another attempt by the Trump administration to defuse anger among the Republican president’s own supporters over what they have long seen as a cover-up of sex crimes by Epstein, who was a wealthy financier with high-level connections.

‘Corrupt deal’

Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said the meeting between Maxwell and a Justice Department official who used to be Mr Trump’s own lawyer smacked of a “corrupt deal so that [Attorney-General Pam Bondi] can exonerate Donald Trump”.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said it raised some troubling questions.

“Is he really going as [deputy attorney-general] or is he going de facto as Trump’s personal criminal attorney, Tom Hagen style?” the senator said in a reference to the Corleone family lawyer in The Godfather.

“Will he promise her a pardon for silence, or for a Trump-friendly tale?” Senator Whitehouse asked.

Justice department says Epstein ‘client list’ does not exist Photo shows A middle-aged man with grey-white hair wearing a grey T-shirt looks serious in front of a plain background. The US Justice Department says it has videos and pictures of Epstein and victims but will not be releasing any more files from the case as much of it is sealed by a court.

Many of the president’s core supporters want more transparency on the Epstein case, and Mr Trump had promised to deliver that on retaking the White House in January.

But he has since dismissed the controversy as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt”, and the DOJ and FBI released a memo this month claiming the Epstein files did not contain evidence that would justify further investigation.

Epstein committed suicide while in jail and was not murdered, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a “client list”, according to the July 7 FBI-DOJ memo.

Epstein was found hanging dead in his New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited hundreds of victims at his homes in New York and Florida.

AFP/AP

Talks with imprisoned former girlfriend of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein come as pressure mounts on Trump administration.

Officials from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) have interviewed sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida, as pressure continues to mount on the administration of US President Donald Trump over the handling of the files of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Former British socialite Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking minors on behalf of Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial in his own paedophile trafficking case.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche – Trump’s former personal lawyer for his hush money trial and two federal criminal cases – met with Maxwell on Thursday, according to her lawyer.

Images captured by ABC News showed Blanche and his entourage, including Acting Associate Deputy Attorney General Diego Pestana, entering the US Attorney’s office, which is located in a federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida.

Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, said: “We had a very productive day today with the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Ghislaine Maxwell.”

Markus told reporters that Maxwell answered each of Blanche’s questions, adding, “We don’t want to comment about the substance of the meeting for obvious reasons.”

In a social media post on 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 DOJ “will hear what she has to say”.

Maxwell, the daughter of the late British press baron, Robert Maxwell, is the only former Epstein associate who was convicted in connection with his activities, which conspiracy theorists allege included trafficking young models for VIPs.

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Joyce Vance, an ex-federal prosecutor who now teaches law at the University of Alabama, said any “‘new’ testimony [Maxwell] offers is inherently unreliable unless backed by evidence”.

“Trump could give Ghislaine Maxwell a pardon on his last day in office, in exchange for favourable testimony now,” Vance said in a post on X. “She knows he’s her only chance for release.”

‘Client list’

The meeting with Maxwell marks another attempt by the Trump administration to defuse anger among the Republican president’s own supporters over what they have long seen as a cover-up of sex crimes by Epstein, a wealthy financier with high-level connections.

On July 7, the DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a memo saying that a review of Epstein’s case yielded no new evidence, including no “client list”.

But that finding caused an uproar among Trump’s MAGA base, which noted that US Attorney General Pam Bondi herself had referred to a client list “sitting on my desk right now” earlier this year.

Members of Trump’s base have long embraced conspiracy theories about rings of sex offenders in the highest levels of government, and some have questioned the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death, speculating that it was an orchestrated cover-up.

On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell to appear before Congress next month, noting in a statement that “the facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr Epstein’s cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny”.

The committee’s Republican chair, US Representative James Comer, noted in his statement that while the DOJ was moving forward with its interview, “it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr Epstein”.

Democrats have also pushed for the release of the Epstein files, and on Wednesday, a Republican-led panel pushed forward a Democrat-led subcommittee subpoena demanding that the DOJ release the Epstein files.

In an interview with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, US Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat, said she would trust Congress to interview Maxwell more than the DOJ, noting the potential for “them sanitising the information that we get, or potentially engaging in some type of threats, or potentially offering a pardon if certain things were said or not said”.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said this evening he plans to continue his conversation with Epstein’s longtime accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell tomorrow. The two spoke for several hours today as the administration seeks to probe Maxwell for additional information about Epstein’s case.

“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 wrote on X.

David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s attorney and a friend of Blanche, said Maxwell had a “productive day” with Blanche and “answered every single question” asked of her, declining to invoke privilege at any time.

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The Jeffrey Epstein saga that has sucked much of the oxygen of this week’s news cycle began a new chapter in Florida’s state capital.

News media descended on Tallahassee’s downtown federal courthouse July 24 after reports that a top U.S. Department of Justice official was in town to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, former girlfriend to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and herself a convicted sex trafficker.

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Maxwell met at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, which is in the courthouse, a short walk from the state Capitol.

Here was the scene in Tallahassee:

Top Justice official confirms Maxwell meeting to continue into day 2

7:30 p.m. — U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on social media that his talks with the late Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell would extend to a second day.

“Today, I met with Ghislaine Maxwell, and I will continue my interview of her tomorrow,” Blanche – the second-in-command at the Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi – posted on X the evening of July 24.

“The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” he added.

Earlier, when asked whether the meeting would continue into a second day, David Markus, the Miami attorney representing Maxwell, said he wasn’t “going to comment on that now.”

Lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell speaks outside federal courthouse in Tallahassee

4:45 p.m. ― David Markus, the Miami attorney representing Ghislaine Maxwell, said he and his client had a “very productive” meeting July 24 with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Markus spoke with reporters outside the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee after he and Maxwell met for hours behind closed doors to field questions from Blanche about the notorious Jeffrey Epstein case. He thanked Blanche for meeting with them and “for being so professional with all of us.”

“He took a full day and asked a lot of questions, and Ms. Maxwell answered every single question,” Markus said. “She never stopped. She never invoked her privilege. She never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability.”

When asked whether the meeting will continue into a second day, Markus said, “We’re not going to comment on that now.”

Blanche seen walking into courthouse

11:34 a.m. — A group of men in suits and ties that was spotted waiting to cross the street near the courthouse earlier on July 24 included Blanche, again confirming his presence in the capital.

Video was taken of him and others by an ABC news camera operator and shared by Tallahassee ABC affiliate WTXL. People close to the proceedings say his meeting with Maxwell is expected to last “all day.” They later said Blanche left open the possibility he could meet again July 25 with Maxwell for a second day.

More news teams gathering outside Tallahassee federal courthouse

10:50 a.m. — Reporters from national and local media outlets have gathered outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, where Maxwell and her attorney are meeting with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss the notorious Epstein case.

Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus of Miami, arrived at the U.S. Courthouse early July 24 and spoke briefly with reporters from ABC News, telling them he hoped to have a productive meeting.

Aaron Katersky, chief investigative correspondent for ABC News, and Katherine Faulders, senior reporter for ABC News, were doing live reporting outside the courthouse. Ivan Rodriguez of CNN was going live with Wolf Blitzer on the cable network. Other news outlets on scene include the Associated Press, POLITICO, the Miami Herald and WCTV, Tallahassee’s CBS affiliate.

Maxwell’s brother: Ghislaine has ‘new evidence’

10:42 a.m. — The brother of Ghislaine Maxwell now says she is preparing to present the Justice Department with “new evidence,” according to July 24 reports by The Hill and New York Post.

She will offer “new evidence that was not available to the defense at her 2021 trial, which would have had a significant impact on its outcome,” Ian Maxwell told the Post in an email.

“Ghislaine Maxwell did not testify during her 2021 trial and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is set to meet with Maxwell, said … no government official had attempted to contact Maxwell for information until the Trump administration,” The Hill reported.

Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?

10:25 a.m. — As the Trump administration battles calls to release its files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, it has turned its attention to Ghislaine Maxwell, the woman serving a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking a minor to Epstein for sexual abuse.

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.

Maxwell was Epstein’s girlfriend for years and was 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.

But who is she? Find out more from USA TODAY by clicking here.

Photos from the courthouse downtown

10:16 a.m. — It was still a fairly serene scene mid-morning on July 24 outside the federal courthouse in downtown Tallahassee.

DOJ spokesman: No comment

10:04 a.m. — A spokesman for the Department of Justice said “no comment” when asked by USA TODAY whether the Maxwell meeting was happening today in Tallahassee.

But those close to the proceedings confirmed with the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida that the convicted socialite is expected to appear there on July 24.

Reporters set up outside courthouse

9:05 a.m. — A crew with lights and camera had set up under a tent across the street from the federal courthouse. No other news media appeared to be gathered there.

A gaggle of kids at a church pre-school next door were glued to the playground’s chain link fence, trying to figure out what was going on.

No media circus at prison

8:25 a.m. — On the corner opposite the main entrance to FCI Tallahassee, one lone cameraman in a ball cap sat in a fold-up chair, with a tripod and a collapsible wagon of video equipment.

Otherwise, the only hubbub outside the prison fence was what appeared to be groundskeepers mowing the grounds.

This story contains previously published material, including from USA TODAY. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on Twitter/X: @JimRosicaFL.