DOJ releases interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, reviving unanswered questions in Epstein scandal

The Department of Justice released several transcripts and audio recordings of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, 63.

The senior Trump administration official met with Maxwell and her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, over two days in July at the federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, where she was previously held while serving her 20-year sentence.

'Except for the names of victims, every word is included. Nothing removed. Nothing hidden.'

Maxwell, who was moved to a minimum-security federal prison in Bryan, Texas, earlier this month, was convicted in 2021 for trafficking minors for sex as Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator and confidante.

Transcripts and audio recordings from their meeting revealed that Maxwell still does not believe that Epstein committed suicide in 2019. When asked to speculate about who might have killed him, she stated she did not know.

She claimed that Epstein did not have a client list, and she was unaware of him previously being accused of blackmailing or extorting anyone, suggesting that his death was unrelated.

RELATED: Clinton appointee blocks DOJ push for Epstein transparency

Photo by Florida Department of Law Enforcement via Getty Images

"In prison, where I am, they will kill you, or they will pay — somebody can pay a prisoner to kill you for $25 worth of commissary," Maxwell said. "That's about the going rate for a hit with a lock today."

Maxwell insisted that she never witnessed President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton do anything inappropriate. She rejected claims that Clinton traveled to Epstein's island.

She noted that she met Trump before Epstein and believed the two were "friendly like people are in social settings," but added, "I don't think they were close friends."

"President Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me. And I just want to say that I find — I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now. And I like him, and I've always liked him. So that is the sum and substance of my entire relationship with him," she said.

Maxwell also insisted that she did not introduce Epstein to Prince Andrew and called claims that Epstein worked for or communicated with an intelligence agency "bulls**t."

"That is a flat untruth," she said.

RELATED: Ghislaine Maxwell opposes unsealing of grand jury testimony requested by Pam Bondi

Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Blanche stated that the interview files were released "in the interest of transparency."

"Except for the names of victims, every word is included. Nothing removed. Nothing hidden," he remarked.

Markus applauded the DOJ's decision to publish the files. He claimed that Maxwell was "innocent and never should have been tried, much less convicted, in this case."

"She never committed or participated in sexual abuse against minors, or anyone else for that matter. In fact, the government has admitted that it did not even consider her a conspirator during the extensive investigation into Epstein in the Southern District of Florida. The only reason she was ever charged is that she served as a scapegoat after Jeffrey Epstein died in prison," Markus stated.

"We are thankful to the Department of Justice and to Todd Blanche for making these tapes and transcripts public so that people can judge for themselves. We are also grateful to the president for his continued commitment to the truth in this matter and for refusing to cave to the mob," Markus added.

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