Ghislaine Maxwell says she never saw Trump "in any inappropriate setting"
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Ghislaine Maxwell and Donald Trump at a 1997 event in New York. Photo: Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Ghislaine Maxwell rejected the notion that Trump was seen "in any inappropriate setting" during her interview with the Department of Justice, newly released transcripts show.
The big picture: Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, has emerged as the central figure of the Jeffrey Epstein case, especially after President Trump's response to the scandal drew intense scrutiny from Democrats and members of his own base.
- Trump has not ruled out a pardon for Maxwell, who has sought to have her conviction overturned.
Driving the news: The DOJ on Friday released audio recordings and transcripts of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's interview with imprisoned Epstein associate Maxwell.
- In the interviews, Maxwell detailed her relationship with the disgraced financier and his associates. She also chronicled how she knew Trump.
- "Redactions of victim names and other identifying information have been applied," the DOJ said.
What she said: "I don't know how they met, and I don't know how they became friends," Maxwell said about Trump and Epstein. "I certainly saw them together, and I remember the few times I observed them together, but they were friendly. I mean, they seemed friendly."
- Maxwell also said Trump "was always very cordial and very kind to me."
- "I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting. I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects," she said.
State of play: Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), demanded the recordings, transcripts and other materials from the meeting in a July 28 letter to Blanche.
- "It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for the Deputy Attorney General to conduct such an interview, rather than line prosecutors who are familiar with the details of the case and can more readily determine if the witness is lying," the letter read.
- Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, told reporters at the time that his client answered "all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability."
Zoom out: Maxwell was recently moved to a minimum security facility in Texas, sparking outrage from victims and their families.
- Trump told reporters he "didn't know" about the transfer, adding, "it's not a very uncommon thing."
- The Trump administration's announcement that Epstein did not keep a client list drove a wedge between Trump and some in his base.
- Since then, Washington turned its focus to Maxwell, who was also subpoenaed for a since-delayed deposition by a House panel.
- Maxwell has asked the Supreme Court to overturn her conviction on the grounds she was unlawfully prosecuted due to Epstein's controversial non-prosecution agreement.
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