US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche held a meeting with convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell and her lawyer in Tallahassee, as pressure mounts on the justice department to disclose more about its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
The meeting lasted several hours, with Blanche posing extensive questions and Maxwell responding to each of them, according to her lawyer David Oscar Markus.
“Productive day today with the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Ghislaine Maxwell,” he said, as quoted by CNN.
“She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability,” Markus added, though he declined to reveal the content of the conversation.
Blanche later confirmed he would return tomorrow to continue the interview. “The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” he posted on X.
The meeting comes just weeks before Maxwell is due to testify before the US Congress under subpoena. The House Oversight Committee has ordered her to appear on 11 August, calling her testimony “crucial” to understanding the federal government’s failings in the Epstein case , including controversial plea deals and prosecution gaps.
Maxwell, a British socialite and former girlfriend of Epstein, is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2022 for grooming and trafficking underage girls in partnership with the disgraced financier. She has since filed an appeal.
Blanche had earlier acknowledged that Maxwell was never before approached by federal investigators willing to hear her out.
“That changes now,” he said, signalling a shift in the justice department’s posture under President Donald Trump’s directive to release all “credible evidence” related to Epstein’s crimes.
Her lawyer also said that past prosecutors had avoided direct talks and welcomed the administration’s new approach.
“The truth should not be feared or ignored,” Markus said. “We’re grateful someone is finally listening.”
Maxwell’s possible testimony before Congress could mark a turning point in the saga, depending on whether she decides to fully cooperate. “She’s taking this one step at a time,” Markus said. “If she chooses to testify before Congress, and not plead the Fifth, she will speak the truth—as she always said she would,” he added
The renewed attention to Maxwell’s case comes amid mounting scrutiny over the handling of Epstein-related investigations and growing calls for transparency. A federal judge in Florida last week refused to unseal grand jury records from the early 2000s, rejecting a request by the Trump administration to make them public.
Meanwhile, political tensions continue to rise following a Wall Street Journal report highlighting past links between Trump and Epstein. The US president filed a defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and the newspaper.
The meeting lasted several hours, with Blanche posing extensive questions and Maxwell responding to each of them, according to her lawyer David Oscar Markus.
“Productive day today with the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Ghislaine Maxwell,” he said, as quoted by CNN.
“She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability,” Markus added, though he declined to reveal the content of the conversation.
Blanche later confirmed he would return tomorrow to continue the interview. “The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” he posted on X.
The meeting comes just weeks before Maxwell is due to testify before the US Congress under subpoena. The House Oversight Committee has ordered her to appear on 11 August, calling her testimony “crucial” to understanding the federal government’s failings in the Epstein case , including controversial plea deals and prosecution gaps.
Maxwell, a British socialite and former girlfriend of Epstein, is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2022 for grooming and trafficking underage girls in partnership with the disgraced financier. She has since filed an appeal.
Blanche had earlier acknowledged that Maxwell was never before approached by federal investigators willing to hear her out.
“That changes now,” he said, signalling a shift in the justice department’s posture under President Donald Trump’s directive to release all “credible evidence” related to Epstein’s crimes.
Her lawyer also said that past prosecutors had avoided direct talks and welcomed the administration’s new approach.
“The truth should not be feared or ignored,” Markus said. “We’re grateful someone is finally listening.”
Maxwell’s possible testimony before Congress could mark a turning point in the saga, depending on whether she decides to fully cooperate. “She’s taking this one step at a time,” Markus said. “If she chooses to testify before Congress, and not plead the Fifth, she will speak the truth—as she always said she would,” he added
The renewed attention to Maxwell’s case comes amid mounting scrutiny over the handling of Epstein-related investigations and growing calls for transparency. A federal judge in Florida last week refused to unseal grand jury records from the early 2000s, rejecting a request by the Trump administration to make them public.
Meanwhile, political tensions continue to rise following a Wall Street Journal report highlighting past links between Trump and Epstein. The US president filed a defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and the newspaper.
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