1 of 2 | Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, spopke with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for a second day. File photo by Rick Bajornas/Handout/EPA
Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of late child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, on Friday answered questions by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche “honestly, truthfully,” about Epstein’s crimes and who may have associated with him, her attorney said.
Maxwell and her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, met with Blanche for about four hours Friday in the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Fla. They met Thursday and spoke for six hours. It wasn’t clear whether there will be another session.
“We started this morning right around 9 o’clock, and went to now lunchtime, and we’re finished after all day, yesterday and today,” Markus told reporters.
“Ghislaine answered every single question asked of her over the last day and a half, she answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability. She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question.
“They asked about every single, every possible thing you could imagine. Everything.”
In a statement to NewsNation, Marcus said: “The truth will come out.”
Markus said he did not know whether the meeting would have any impact on her case, including her appeal and her treatment in prison.
“We don’t know how it’s going to play out,” Markus said. “We just know that this was the first opportunity she’s ever been given to answer questions about what happened and so the truth will come out about what happened with Mr. Epstein, and she’s the person who’s answering those questions.”
Markus chose not to testify at her trial in New York in 2021. She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for sex trafficking and perjury.
“People have questioned her honesty, which I think is wrong,” Markus said.
The attorney said there was no offer for clemency or a pardon from President Donald Trump, who at one time was a good friend of Epstein.
Blanche, a political appointee and former Trump defense attorney, wasn’t close enough to reporters to answer any questions.
On X, Blanche said he would reveal what he learned from Maxwell “at the appropriate time.”
Before leaving for Scotland on Friday, Trump brushed off questions about Epstein.
“I have nothing to do with the guy,” Trump said of Epstein. He socialized with Epstein for years before falling out with him in the mid-2000s.
Trump said reporters should focus on those who allegedly spent time with Epstein, such as former President Bill Clinton and ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who was also once the president of Harvard.
People “don’t talk about them. They talk about me,” he complained.
“You should focus on Clinton. You should focus on the president of Harvard, the former president of Harvard, you should focus on some of the hedge fund guys,” CNBC reported Trump saying.
“I’ll give you a list. These guys lived with Jeffrey Epstein, I sure as hell didn’t.”
When asked if he would pardon Maxwell for finding and grooming young girls for Epstein’s abuse, Trump said, “It’s something I haven’t thought about.”
“I’m allowed to do it,” he added.
Trump has directed the release of “any and all” grand jury testimony related to Epstein.
Overhead the courthouse during the meeting Friday, a banner towed by a plane read: “TRUMP AND BONDI ARE PROTECTING PREDATORS.” The banner serves as “a reminder of Epstein’s egregious crimes and Trump’s and Bondi’s exploitation of survivors’ pain for political gain,” according to a news release from activist group UltraViolet.
Pam Bondi, the attorney general, had promised to release
The Justice Department said earlier this month in a memo said much of the information is under legal seal but that there is “no incriminate ‘client list'” in the files and that “there was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.” It also states that Epstein died by suicide, an assertion supported by video footage though three minutes is missing.
“Ghislaine has been treated unfairly for over five years now,” Marcus said.
“If you looked up scapegoat in the dictionary, her face would be next to the definition next to the dictionary definition of it,” he said. “So, you know, we’re grateful for this opportunity to finally be able to say what really happened, and that’s what we’re going to do yesterday and today.”
“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.
“She’s got no reason to lie at this point, and she’s going to keep telling the truth.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that a recent review of Epstein-related documents by the Justice Department and FBI allegedly found that Trump’s name appeared several times in the files.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., during a press conference Wednesday, said making the Epstein files public needs to be done in a way that protects the victims mentioned, some of whom are minors. The House adjourned before voting on a resolution to have the FBI files released.
