Top U.S. DOJ official to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell on Thursday
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell on Thursday, two people familiar with the meeting tell CNN, as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to face backlash over the Jeffrey Epstein saga.
They will meet at the U.S. attorney's office in Tallahassee, according to a person familiar with the plans.
The meeting comes after the Department of Justice said earlier this week it had reached out to Epstein's former associate, with Blanche saying in a statement on Tuesday that 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.'
It comes as many of Trump's supporters have demanded the release of more information about the accused sex trafficker alongside growing concerns for transparency among Republicans on Capitol Hill.
The U.S. House Oversight subcommittee voted Wednesday to subpoena the DOJ for files related to Epstein in a surprise move amounting to a show of defiance by some House Republicans against Speaker Mike Johnson.
Johnson has attempted to tamp down on efforts to push the release of the so-called Epstein files and shut the door on the possibility of a House vote on releasing information on Epstein before the August recess.
The subpoena calls for the Epstein files in the U.S. Justice Department's possession to be provided to Congress, but for the names of the victims to be redacted. It also calls for communications between former Biden officials and the Justice Department related to the Epstein matter, in addition to depositions among some major figures, including Bill and Hillary Clinton and former FBI director James Comey.
Last week, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to make public years-old grand jury testimony against Epstein, though a Florida federal judge on Wednesday declined to release additional grand jury documents from the criminal investigation into Epstein.
Separately, a different federal judge rejected Maxwell's lawyers' request to view grand jury material as he weighs whether to release it publicly. Lawyers for Maxwell had asked the judge to allow them access to the transcripts before they officially state their position on the requested unsealing.
The judge said there is 'no compelling necessity' for Maxwell to review the grand jury transcripts prior to submitting their position on whether they should be unsealed. He said if, once he reviews the transcripts, he believes it would benefit Maxwell's lawyers to see portions of them he may make an excerpt of them available.
Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in federal prison for carrying out a years-long scheme with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls. She has continued to appeal her conviction.
Kaitlan Collins, Shania Shelton, CNN
CNN's Kara Scannell, Annie Grayer and Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.
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