DoJ to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell as Trump faces new scrutiny over Epstein ties
The announcement of Maxwell's meetings with justice department officials comes as the Trump administration faces backlash from Democrats and Trump supporters alike for its recent handling of the Epstein case.
In early July, the justice department and the FBI announced that they will not be releasing any further Epstein-related documents and further said that there was 'no incriminating 'client list''.
'We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,' the justice department said. FBI officials also determined that Epstein indeed died by suicide.
The Trump administration's handling of the Epstein case has led to a rift among Trump's base.
The administration's attempts to place a lid on the Epstein case have been met with criticism, including from members of Congress who have pushed for votes to compel the administration to release documents related to the case. There will probably not be a vote before the August recess, Politico reports, due to Republican resistance during congressional meetings.
Some lawmakers have called for Maxwell to testify before Congress about her dealings with Epstein, a move that leading House Republicans have resisted.
Last week, Trump directed the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to ask a court to release all relevant grand jury testimony in Epstein's case. The grand jury testimony could reveal previously unknown information but is unlikely to include big revelations since, often, prosecutors provide limited information to a grand jury only to secure an indictment.
Maxwell, who was convicted of sex-trafficking underage girls for Epstein in December 2021, will reportedly be negotiating with the government. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein's abuse of children.
'I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully,' her attorney, David Oscar Markus, posted on X.
On Tuesday morning, Blanche also released a statement, posted by Bondi, saying that he plans to meet with Maxwell 'in the coming days'. Blanche's statement also defended the department's early July release, saying it was 'as accurate today as it was when it was written'.
Epstein and Maxwell were first indicted under the first Trump administration. In 2007, Epstein struck a deal with federal and state prosecutors. That year, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison for soliciting charges.
It is unclear what the terms of Maxwell's discussions will be or if she will agree to be a cooperating witness with the justice department. It is also unclear what benefit she may gain from cooperating with the government. Typically, cooperating witnesses receive certain benefits for working with the government, including visas, reduced sentences and, at times, government protection.
'For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?' Blanche posted on X.
It is unclear what steps will be taken by the justice department, considering the recent shake-up at the US attorney's office in Manhattan, which prosecuted the federal cases, Politico reports.
All of the prosecutors who worked on the Epstein and Maxwell cases, except one, have left the Manhattan US attorney's office in recent months.
Trump has also been in the crosshairs of the Epstein dilemma, due to his past ties to the financier. Epstein once said he was Trump's 'closest friend'. Additionally, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump allegedly sent a 'bawdy' letter to Epstein in 2003. Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and its owners, and the paper was later banned from participating in the press pool during Trump's upcoming trip to Scotland.
Alan Dershowitz, who was an attorney for Epstein, recently said that Maxwell would be willing to testify during an interview with Fox News, if offered immunity.
'She knows everything, she is the Rosetta Stone,' Dershowitz said. 'If she were just given 'use immunity', she could be compelled to testify. I'm told that she actually would be willing to testify.'
In a separate interview with Real America's Voice, Dershowitz said that Maxwell should not be in prison.
'She is really serving Jeffrey Epstein's sentence,' Dershowitz said. 'After he committed suicide, there was no one else to prosecute 'cause there was no real information against anybody else. And so they went after her and they sentenced her to the sentence that would have been appropriate for Epstein, but not at all appropriate for her.
'She deserves to be out,' he added.
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