Trump team seeks meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell amid Epstein pressure
On Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement from her deputy, Todd Blanche, who explained that he is pursuing a meeting with Maxwell to ensure transparency in the government's Epstein investigation.
'This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead,' Blanche said.
'President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. 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.'
Blanche's statement comes as the Trump administration weathers a backlash from the president's base over the Epstein scandal.
On July 7, the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a memo saying that a review of Epstein's case yielded no new evidence, including no 'client list'.
But that finding caused an uproar among Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, which noted that Bondi herself had referred to a client list 'sitting on my desk right now' earlier this year.
Members of Trump's base have long embraced conspiracy theories about rings of sex offenders in the highest levels of government, and some have questioned the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death, speculating that it was an orchestrated cover-up.
According to authorities, the billionaire financier, who had a powerful social circle, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Maxwell, a close confidant and former girlfriend of Epstein's, has been imprisoned since her 2021 conviction on five federal charges related to her role in the sexual abuse of underage girls.
Blanche said he has 'communicated with counsel for Ms Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the department'.
'I anticipate meeting with Ms Maxwell in the coming days,' he added.
A lawyer for Maxwell, David Oscar Markus, confirmed that her legal team was 'in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully'.
'We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case. We have no other comment at this time,' he said.
The update comes after Trump last week instructed Bondi and Blanche to ask a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in both the cases of Epstein and Maxwell.
Trump had supported the FBI and Justice Department in their assessment.
One of the conspiracy theories circulating about the case is that Epstein used his sex-trafficking ring to blackmail powerful figures, though the July memo splashed cold water on that assertion.
'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list',' the memo said. 'There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.'
MAGA criticism of Trump over Epstein
The situation has drawn renewed scrutiny to Trump's own years-long relationship with Epstein, as high-profile members of the MAGA base denounced the results of the memo as unsatisfying and inconclusive.
The president has attempted to dismiss the outcry, calling the controversy the 'Epstein hoax' and denouncing his supporters as 'weaklings' for perpetuating it.
That did little to stem the outrage from some of the most influential voices in the MAGA movement, who have called on Bondi to resign.
Earlier this year, Bondi promised that the Justice Department would release additional materials, including 'a lot of names' and 'a lot of flight logs' in connection with Epstein's clients.
On Tuesday, Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, announced that he was adjourning the chamber's last week of legislative business ahead of the summer recess amid an attempt by some lawmakers to force a vote on releasing the so-called Epstein files.
'We're done being lectured on transparency,' Johnson said, accusing Democrats of attempting to politicise the case.
Trump recently filed a lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal after the newspaper reported on a 'bawdy' letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
Several of Trump's top officials have also spent years fuelling speculation over the Epstein files, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
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