Ghislaine Maxwell talked about ‘100 different people' during DOJ's Epstein interview, lawyer says
Maxwell, who is serving 20 years for sex trafficking at a federal prison in Florida, faced a second day of questioning from Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, about the Epstein case.
'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,' Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said Friday, outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida.
'She was asked about maybe about 100 different people. She answered questions about everybody and she didn't hold anything back,' Markus said. 'She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question. So we're very proud of her.'
Blanche interviewed Maxwell Thursday and Friday about others who may have 'committed crimes against victims' as part of the Department of Justice's re-examination of the government's investigation into the Epstein case which has generated much public scrutiny.
The Trump administration is facing backlash from its MAGA base for refusing to release more information in the so-called 'Epstein Files.' Despite years of rumors about a so-called 'client list' of high-profile individuals who participated in alleged crimes that Epstein committed, the DoJ and FBI released a memo earlier this month saying no such list existed and no further investigations were warranted.
During his brief press conference on Friday, Markus said Maxwell had been 'treated unfairly' for the past five years and that his client had cooperated with the DoJ in its questioning. He said Maxwell did not ask for anything in return, including a pardon.
He did however, hint that the president could offer clemency.
'Listen, the president this morning said he had the power to do so. We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way,' Markus said.
When asked about Maxwell's questioning Friday morning, President Trump tried to deflect attention away from the situation, encouraging people to 'focus on how well the country is doing.'
Trump also said while he had the authority to pardon Maxwell he had not given it much consideration.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was investigated for conducting a years-long sex-trafficking scheme involving girls and women. Epstein died by suicide while in federal prison in 2019 before a trial could take place.
Maxwell was investigated and convicted for her role in the scheme. So far, she's the only other person to be charged in connection to the Epstein case. Despite being found guilty, her attorneys have taken an appeal of her conviction to the Supreme Court.
Many in Trump's MAGA base had bolstered conspiracy theories about those involved with Epstein, believing the government was covering-up details involving some of the high-profile individuals involved.
Even senior members of his administration, such as FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, had spoken about their theories in the case before they took up their posts in the administration.
But their sudden reversal once in office disappointed and outraged some MAGA supporters who accused them of continuing a government cover-up of information to protect those involved.
The president has attempted to divert attention away from the Epstein Files, an effort that has appeared to backfire.
In the weeks following the July 6 memo from the DoJ and FBI, a public spotlight has been cast on Trump's former relationship with Epstein. The president previously said the two were friends for many years, but he has denied any involvement in Epstein's crimes. Trump has not been accused of any formal wrongdoing or charged with a crime.
Last week, a Wall Street Journal article reported that the president sent Epstein a lewd birthday card referencing 'secrets.' The president denied sending any card and filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Journal.
Reports from CNN and the Journal also claimed that Bondi alerted Trump, in early spring, that his name appeared in the Epstein Files. Being mentioned in the files does not suggest any wrongdoing, and hundreds of other people were also named.
The president denied to reporters earlier this month that his name was in the files. When asked if his name was in the files earlier this month, Trump claimed the Epstein Files were 'made up' by former FBI director James Comey, former president Barack Obama, and former president Joe Biden.
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A total of 36% of 1,000 registered voters polled March 7-11 said they consider themselves part of the MAGA coalition, compared to a 23% average in NBC's March polling and 27% in the network's 2024 polls (the most recent poll has a 3.1-point margin of error). 42%. That's Trump's average approval rating so far during his second term, higher than his 41% average approval rating throughout the duration of his first term, according to Gallup. Just after marking his sixth month in office, Trump is facing arguably the biggest public relations crisis of his second term as his base has broken with him over the Justice Department's refusal to release documents detailing its investigation into Epstein. Among other major moments of his second term: Trump launched a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, leading to a cease-fire agreement during Iran and Israel. 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