Raskin demands documents on Maxwell prison transfer, interview with Blanche

The Hill

6 hours ago

House Judiciary Democrats are launching a probe into the transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower security prison, arguing the move creates 'the strong appearance that it is attempting to cover up the full extent of the relationship between President Trump and Mr. Epstein.'
Maxwell, a close associate of deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last month and sat for hours of questions about the actions that led to her conviction on child sex trafficking charges.
Shortly thereafter, she was transferred out of a Tallahassee, Fla., facility to another prison in Texas.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the panel, said the new, lower security prison has 'greater freedom for inmates' and 'prior to this extraordinary transfer, [was] categorically off limits to sex offenders.'
'These actions raise substantial concerns that the administration may now be attempting to tamper with a crucial witness, conceal President Trump's relationship with convicted sex offenders, and coax Ms. Maxwell into providing false or misleading testimony in order to protect the President. The transfer also appears to violate both DOJ and Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policies,' Raskin wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and BOP Director William K. Marshall III.
The letter demands a series of documents related to the transfer, as well as a transcript and recording of Maxwell's meeting with Blanche.
The letter outlines the strict guidelines for prison transfers as well as the unusual speed at which Maxwell's was initiated.
As a sex offender, Maxwell would typically be ineligible for a minimum-security federal prison camp like the one in Bryan, Texas, where she now lives, as such facilities offer 'access to the community.'
The ban is seldom waived, something that Raskin said takes 'multiple levels of review that would ordinarily take months to complete,' typically requires new evidence, and inmates then usually have to wait months for an opening at such a facility.
The facility where Maxwell is now held was listed as among the ' Best Jails in America to Serve Time.'
'Ms. Maxwell, however, appears to have short-circuited the entire review process and jumped the queue, receiving a place in Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan within a matter of days. Neither DOJ nor BOP has provided anything like a satisfactory explanation for providing Ms. Maxwell this uniquely favorable treatment,' Raskin wrote.
Documents obtained by Allison Gill show some of Maxwell's BOP classifications, including that her sex offender status was waived by management to allow her to move to a lower security facility.
Raskin demands a list of all administration officials who 'were aware of, were involved in, or approved' the transfer, as well as all documents and communications related to the matter.
He also asks for 'any possible benefits to Ms. Maxwell, including transfers, changes to conditions of confinement, pardons, commutation, or changes to DOJ positions in ongoing matters.'
Raskin noted that the transfer also came as Maxwell is under pressure to testify before Congress – with the House Oversight Committee issuing a subpoena for her testimony with the backing of both parties.
'There can be no question that your actions have served to send a clear message to Ms. Maxwell in the lead up to any testimony before Congress and the American public: this Administration can punish or reward her as it sees fit for its own purposes,' he wrote.
Raskin likewise asks for a transcript and recording of Blanche's conversation with Maxwell, noting the unusual nature of having the No. 2 DOJ official interview an inmate, a task that typically falls to career prosecutors directly involved with the case.
'These meetings were highly unusual for several reasons. Mr. Blanche, who until ten months ago served as Donald Trump's personal criminal defense lawyer, met with Ms. Maxwell and her attorney with no line prosecutors present. The meeting took place just days after DOJ leadership fired one of the chief career prosecutors on the Epstein matter,' Raskin wrote, a nod to the removal of Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, who previously worked on the Epstein prosecution.
'The need for this meeting was undercut by DOJ's recent contradictory statements that its thorough review of the Epstein files, which reportedly identified repeated references to the President, 'did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.''
Blanche previously said he would 'share additional information about what we learned [from Maxwell] at the appropriate time.'
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment, while BOP declined to comment on the substance of the letter.
'The Federal Bureau of Prisons responds directly to Members of Congress and their staff. Out of respect and deference to Members, we do not share our Congressional correspondence,' the agency said in a statement.