Topline
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Tuesday he intends to meet with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in the “coming days” about any information she has regarding Epstein’s other associates, as the Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi continue to face scrutiny from the right for their decision not to release further Epstein files.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein pose for a portrait during a party at Donald Trump’s … More
Key Facts
Bondi posted a statement from Blanche Tuesday morning, which said the deputy attorney general “anticipate[s] meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days” after Bondi directed him to seek a meeting with her.
Maxwell, the best-known Epstein associate who assisted him in his sex trafficking scheme, is now serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted on charges of sex trafficking and transporting minors to participate in illegal sex acts.
Blanche suggested he intends to ask Maxwell for information about other Epstein associates who participated in the sex trafficking scheme, saying, “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.”
The meeting comes as the DOJ has come under fire for its recent memo announcing it will not release any further files on the Epstein case, which Blanche defended Tuesday, saying, “The joint statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 remains as accurate today as it was when it was written.”
Blanche also said the agency stands by its assertion in the memo that “no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
Crucial Quote
“For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?” Blanche said on X on Tuesday. “No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits.”
Will Ghislaine Maxwell Cooperate With Prosecutors?
It remains to be seen what Maxwell could disclose to the DOJ, if anything, but the Epstein associate could have a strong incentive to be helpful, given she’s serving a 20-year prison sentence and the government could have sway in giving her some leniency. Maxwell is also still in the process of appealing her conviction, most recently asking the Supreme Court to hear it. The Trump administration has so far opposed that appeal, filing a brief with the high court arguing justices should not take up the case.
This story is breaking and will be updated.