DOJ To Meet With Maxwell as Trump Allies Demand Epstein Transparenc
The Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday it has reached out to Ghislaine Maxwell for a meeting, amid growing backlash over the administration’s handling of the Epstein case.
“Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a post on X. “At @AGPamBondi’s direction, I’ve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,” CNN reported.
In a separate statement posted by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Blanche added, “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.”
Maxwell’s attorney confirmed to CNN that they are “in discussions with the government.”
“Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,” attorney David Oscar Markus said.
President Trump said Tuesday he wasn’t aware of the DOJ’s outreach but supported it.
“I didn’t know that they were going to do it. I don’t really follow that too much. It’s sort of a witch hunt,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Still, he praised Blanche and said the move “sounds appropriate.”
The push for transparency is picking up steam in Congress, where House Republicans are expected to subpoena Maxwell “as expeditiously as possible,” according to a source on the House Oversight Committee.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. She has continued to appeal her conviction.
The renewed interest in Maxwell comes as the DOJ also seeks to unseal grand jury testimony from Epstein’s case. Two judges have ordered the department to provide more information, including whether Maxwell was notified and whether she plans to oppose the release. A person close to her told CNN she would oppose the release of materials related to her and Epstein.
A federal judge has ordered Maxwell’s legal team to weigh in by August 5.
In a letter to the judge, Maxwell’s attorney requested access to the transcripts the DOJ wants unsealed.
“As counsel for Ms. Maxwell, we would similarly like to review the grand jury transcripts at issue (we have not seen them and our understanding is that they have never been provided to the defense in their entirety) in order to craft a response and set out our position to the Court,” Markus wrote.
Democrats quickly attacked Blanche’s announcement. Rep. Dan Goldman accused the deputy attorney general of “doing an end-run around the SDNY and its institutional policies by acting as a political agent of President Trump.”
“This is almost certainly not the first time the DOJ has inquired about cooperation from Ghislaine Maxwell,” Goldman said, noting that cooperation deals are standard practice. “Do not be fooled: this latest delay tactic is yet another effort to conceal the Epstein files.”
Trump ordered the push to unseal records after a Wall Street Journal report resurfaced a 2003 birthday letter to Epstein that featured Trump’s name and an outline of a naked woman. Trump has denied writing it and is suing the publisher.
Bondi had already pledged to release as much as legally possible, but in a memo earlier this month, she said there is no credible evidence that Epstein was murdered or kept a “client list.” The DOJ, she said, has no plans to release new documents.
Still, pressure from Trump’s base has not eased. Many conservatives remain frustrated by what they see as a lack of full disclosure since Epstein’s death in 2019.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told CNN that transparency demands are “extremely high.”
“They are getting beaten up at home in their districts,” she said of lawmakers facing voter pressure.
