DoJ seeks Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony on Epstein case
Her legal team is likely to leverage her co-operation for a reduced prison sentence.
Responding to the DoJ's efforts to interview Maxwell, Trump said: 'Yeah, I don't know about it, but I think it's something that would be ... sounds appropriate to do.
He continued: 'I don't really follow that too much.'
David Oscar Markus, Maxwell's lawyer, confirmed the Trump administration had made contact with him, adding: 'Ghislaine will always testify truthfully.'
Alan Dershowitz, Epstein's former lawyer, described Maxwell as the 'Rosetta Stone' of the Epstein debacle.
'She knows everything. She is the Rosetta Stone ... She arranged every single trip with everybody,' he told Fox News.
Dershowitz suggested Maxwell should be given legal immunity in exchange for talking freely before Congress.
Epstein's former lawyer described Maxwell as the 'Rosetta Stone' of the Epstein case. Photo / US District Court for the Southern District of New York
The FBI and the DoJ recently concluded that Epstein did not have a 'client list' and died by suicide in a Manhattan prison cell in 2019.
Conspiracy theorists, including many Trump voters, believe that Epstein was killed to prevent supposed information about high-profile 'clients' involved with the financier being made public.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he would shut the House down early for August recess on Tuesday, closing the session after a vote on Wednesday.
On Monday, he quashed a vote which could have pressured Trump to release Epstein files. However, Republicans moved to force Maxwell to testify in front of the House.
The House oversight and government reform committee advanced a motion filed by Tim Burchett, a Tennessee representative, seeking approval to subpoena Maxwell.
Speaking from the White House on Tuesday, Trump lashed out at the WSJ for publishing details of his alleged birthday note to Epstein, calling it a 'terrible paper'.
Trump added he was suing them 'for a lot of money'.
Donald Trump's letter to Epstein
'Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,' the note began.
Donald: Yes, there is, but I won't tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Trump: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.
On Friday, the President filed a US$10 billion (NZ$17b) defamation suit against the newspaper, the two reporters who wrote the story, and Rupert Murdoch, the newspaper's owner.
Trump claimed the letter, which is said to have included a drawing of a naked woman and the message: 'we have certain things in common,' was 'fake'.
Trump's relationship with Maxwell stretches back decades. He was pictured with Maxwell and her paedophile financier boyfriend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in 2000.
Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell together at the Mar-a-Lago club in 2000. Photo / Getty Images
In 2020, while Maxwell was awaiting trial on federal sex crimes for her role in Epstein's sex trafficking crimes, Trump said he wished her 'well'.
Asked whether he expected her to go public with the names of the men who have been accused in lawsuits of taking part in Epstein's sex-trafficking crimes, Trump said: 'I don't know ... I haven't really been following it too much. I just wish her well, frankly.'
'I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is,' Trump added.
An appeal put forward by Maxwell's lawyers was rejected last year.
Maxwell's appeal focused largely on a 2007 non-prosecution agreement made between Epstein and federal prosecutors in southern Florida, which she said barred her from being prosecuted in Manhattan 13 years later.
Her lawyer argued that the wording of the agreement signalled the Government's intent to bar prosecutions nationwide of 'potential co-conspirators', including, but not limited to, four of Epstein's assistants.
Earlier in July, the Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to reject another appeal by Maxwell's lawyers.
D John Sauer, the US Solicitor-General, said the argument relating to the 2007 non-prosecution agreement was unlikely to succeed in any appeals court.
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