Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced his intention to meet with imprisoned sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell “in the coming days” to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Blanche is prepared to meet with Maxwell after communicating with her attorneys about whether she is willing to speak with federal prosecutors. Maxwell was Epstein’s longtime accomplice and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence on a sex trafficking conviction connected to her work with the deceased pedophile.
“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.
“Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days. Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.”
Blanche defended the Trump administration’s controversial assessment earlier this month that there was no evidence Epstein used his sex trafficking operation to blackmail global elites. After years of online speculation about an Epstein “client list,” the Trump administration found that no such list existed. However, Epstein did record his contacts in a “little black book” and flight logs over the course of his life.
The Trump administration also determined that Epstein committed suicide in a New York City jail cell six years ago, but its conclusion is unlikely to assuage skeptics who remain suspicious of the timing of Epstein’s death. Epstein was found dead in his cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges after his activities faced renewed public scrutiny.
Maxwell’s family and allies have attempted to appeal to the Trump administration for a potential pardon, but the White House has already rejected the possibility.
Trump lashed out repeatedly at his supporters for waging an unusually sustained backlash against the administration’s handling of the Epstein case. The administration was not planning on releasing all of the Epstein files in the federal government’s possession, despite Trump’s campaign promises to the contrary.
Feeling the heat, Trump asked Bondi last week to disclose grand jury testimony regarding Epstein, with court approval. Bondi obliged and the Justice Department has moved to get the transcripts unsealed. MAGA has placed most of the blame on Bondi for the Trump administration’s approach to the Epstein files.
Earlier this year, Bondi hosted a group of MAGA influencers to announced the release of a batch of Epstein files in what became a widely mocked stunt. The files largely contained information that had already been revealed through litigation and reporting.
Last week, MAGA rallied around Trump after the Wall Street Journal published a story about a bizarre letter Trump purportedly wrote to Epstein for his 50th birthday party. Trump has denied writing the letter and is suing the Journal over its story, which came amid speculation that the administration is deliberately withholding the Epstein files to protect Trump.
Trump’s 15 year long friendship with Epstein was already well-known. The two were pictured partying together and Trump is mentioned several times in Epstein’s flight logs dating back to the 1990s. The friendship ended before Epstein became a convicted sex offender and Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein’s decades-long trafficking and sexual abuse of underage girls.
Epstein’s sex crimes and network of powerful friends have been a fascination of the online podcast circuit for several years, especially among pro-Trump commentators and comedians. FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino were among those commentators during the Biden administration before they assumed their current roles.
