Why Are Republicans So Anxious to Talk to Ghislaine Maxwell?
A longtime romantic partner to Epstein and collaborator in his trafficking operations, Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking, conspiracy, and transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity in 2021, and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Maxwell potentially harbors a wealth of knowledge regarding who among Epstein's associates abused young women and girls along with Epstein. She has, so far, remained tight-lipped about what she does or does not know. Almost five years into her incarceration, she seems tentatively willing to play ball with the Trump administration as it scrambles to tamp down suspicion about his connection to the disgraced financier.
Here's a refresher on Maxwell's role in the Epstein case, and how the Trump administration hopes she might bail them out of a crisis of their own making.
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?
Before becoming the subject of international attention over her connections to Epstein, Maxwell was a British socialite and the daughter of Ian Robert Maxwell, a former member of the British Parliament.
Maxwell met Epstein in the late 80s or early 90s, when the wealthy financier was a staple in the New York City social scene. They began a relationship shortly after and remained close up until his death in custody over two decades later.
While Epstein's proclivities for young women and underage girls was infamous, Maxwell was considered his 'main' girlfriend by those who knew him or worked for him. She effectively operated as a chief of staff for his household, managing his staff, and coordinating the visits of young women 'massage therapists' to his home in Manhattan.
What was she accused of?
In February 2020, Maxwell was arrested by the FBI and accused of having 'assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18.'
The charges against Maxwell stemmed from nearly a decade of allegations that she had helped recruit, groom, and abuse young women on Epstein's behalf. Several victims, most of whom were not publicly identified, testified that after Maxwell recruited them, they were coerced into performing sex acts with Epstein.
Maxwell was ultimately convicted on five counts: sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and three counts of conspiracy to commit choate felonies. She was acquitted on one count of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. She was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison, and is expected to face a second trial related to charges of perjury related to a 2015 testimony given during the course of a civil lawsuit against Epstein.
What is her relationship to Trump, and what has he said about her?
Maxwell and the president actually knew each other before Epstein was ever in the picture. The wealthy socialite and the New York tabloid staple crossed paths often, with Trump reportedly being friendly with Maxwell's father — who became a prominent media publisher after leaving British Parliament. Trump socialized with Epstein and Maxwell plenty after they got together, and numerous photos and videos exist of them partying in the 90s. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump contributed a salacious note to a 50th birthday album Maxwell put together for Epstein in the early 2000s.
In 2020, following Maxwell's arrest, Trump told reporters during a press briefing that he'd '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.'
'I just wish her well, frankly,' he said.
Journalist Jonathan Swan confronted Trump over the remarks in a one-on-one interview for Axios. 'Mr. President, Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested on allegations of child sex trafficking. Why would you wish such a person well?' Swan asked. Trump responded by emphasizing that her boyfriend died in jail, suggesting he may have been murdered, and noting that he's 'not looking bad for anybody.' Swan then reiterated that Maxwell was an alleged child sex trafficker.
During Maxwell's trial, troves of evidence emerged about the connections between her, Epstein, and some of the most powerful, wealthy, and prominent public figures in the world. Flight logs showed Trump traveling on Epstein's private plane — dubbed the 'Lolita Express' — seven times between 1993-1997. His name and phone number were also included in a contact book.
Why is the Justice Department looking to speak to her?
The Trump administration announced earlier this month that they were closing the book on the Epstein case. The FBI and DOJ claimed there was no incriminating evidence meriting further inquiry, and asserted that the financier had died by suicide in jail. The announcement was met with a full blown revolt by MAGA influencers who felt the administration had duped them with promises of increased transparency and additional prosecutions related to Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
Trump has responded by claiming the Epstein files are a 'hoax' that was 'made up' by Democrats like former President Barack Obama. His administration and some Republicans in Congress have blocked attempts to make the files public. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Trump in May that his name appeared in the Epstein files multiple times.
The DOJ announced on Tuesday that it had reached out to Maxwell. 'At the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in a statement on Tuesday. '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.'
A day later, the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell, with Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) noting that the committee wants her 'to inform the consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.'
The committee is scheduled to depose her at the prison in Tallahassee where she is being held on August 11.
The Trump administration and the president's allies in Congress seem to think that if they get Maxwell to attest that Trump did nothing wrong, it would appease the president's furious base. There's one problem with the ploy, as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), of all people, laid out on Wednesday.
'The obvious concern, the caveat, that Chairman Comer and I and everyone has, is: Could she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?' he told reporters. 'I mean, this is a person who's been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts, and acts against innocent young people. I mean, can we trust what she's going to say?'
What's in it for Ghislaine?
Maxwell is a convicted felon who would likely seek to convert her cooperation with the Justice Department into a bid for leniency or an outright pardon.
The idea is already gaining traction among the right.
'Maybe she wants immunity, maybe she wants some sort of protection, I don't know,' Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said on his podcast Tuesday. 'But it definitely is something that is worthy of praise, and worthy of our encouragement.'
On Wednesday night, Newsmax host Greg Kelly told viewers that Maxwell 'deserves to be out. And maybe she never deserved to be in there in the first place.'
'I do have a feeling that she has been — she just might be a victim. She just might be. There was a rush to judgment. There was a lot of chaos there for a while,' Kelly added.
There was no rush to judgement. Maxwell was accused in civil and criminal court, and convicted by a jury of her peers. One would hope that any sort of agreement struck for her cooperation would consider what got her incarcerated in the first place, but then again Trump has few scruples about pardoning egregious criminals.
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