Ghislaine Maxwell has said she does not believe late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died of suicide in new interview transcripts from Trump’s Department of Justice.
Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and longtime associate, who is currently serving 20 years for sex trafficking conspiracy and other charges, was interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche over two days in July.
In the transcripts, released on Friday, she also dismissed theories he was murdered in prison as “ludicrous”, adding she believed his death was due to an “internal situation” at the prison and the failure of the authorities. Epstein was found unresponsive in his jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
Epstein was found with a noose made out of a bedsheet and the authorities ruled the death a suicide.
The disgraced British socialite and convicted sex offender also stated there was “absolutely no” client list and denied the authenticity of a “famous photograph” appearing to show Prince Andrew with a woman who was unnamed in the transcripts.
Maxwell's interviews with the Justice Department have been made public as the Trump administration attempts to dismiss claims of a supposed conspiracy surrounding the case of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Among the many details in the lengthy transcripts was her denial of ever seeing Donald Trump involved in any of Epstein’s criminal activities. The president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and stated that their friendship ended more than 15 years ago.
Maxwell said, according to the transcripts, adding that he “was a gentleman in all respects.”
Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia has called her a “known liar” and says “she cannot be trusted,” as she is “desperate for a pardon” from Trump.
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Key Points
- Maxwell does not believe that Epstein died by suicide, but has no idea who killed him, testimony reveals
- Trump was 'never inappropriate with anybody' says Maxwell
- Maxwell denies the existence of Epstein's 'client list'
- Ghislaine Maxwell wants a pardon. Just how credible is testimony from a ‘known liar’?
Key takeaways from Maxwell transcript
13:40
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
There are a number of key takeaways from the transcript released by the DOJ on Friday, during which Ghislaine Maxwell denied the existence of a “client list” of Epstein’s.
The Independent’s Meg Kinnard has picked out the most important points, including what Maxwell said about Trump, Prince Andrew, and Epstein.
You can read her full piece here.
Ghislaine Maxwell would 'welcome' any relief, lawyer says
12:40
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ghislaine Maxwell would “welcome any relief” that could come, her lawyer has previously said.
A pardon or a commutation, which could be issued by President Donald Trump, is her only likely hope for getting out of prison early.
In July, Trump said he “had not thought about” pardoning Maxwell, but The White House has been adamant that "no leniency is being given or discussed" in her case.
Maxwell recalls 'possibly' meeting Trump in the 90s
11:42
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
In the transcripts, Ghislaine Maxwell recalled knowing about Trump and possibly meeting him for the first time in 1990, when her newspaper magnate father, Robert Maxwell, was the owner of the New York Daily News.
"I may have met Donald Trump at that time, because my father was friendly with him and liked him very much," Maxwell said, according to the transcript.
She added her father was fond of Trump's then-wife, Ivana, "because she was also from Czechoslovakia, where my dad was from."
Maxell labels theories Epstein was murdered 'ludicrous'
11:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ghislaine Maxwell also took the opportunity to slam theories Epstein was murdered while in prison as “ludicrous”.
She told the US Department of Justice she did not believe he had died by suicide, but added she “did not have any reason” to believe he had been killed by anyone wanting to silence him.
"I also happen to think if that is what they wanted, they would've had plenty of opportunity when he wasn't in jail,” she said.
"And if they were worried about blackmail or anything from him, he would've been a very easy target.”
Maxwell rejects Andrew claims and calls picture 'fake'
10:00
,
Daniel Keane
Ghislaine Maxwell has repeated her claim that a photograph showing Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre is “fake”.
In an interview with the US Department of Justice, conducted last month, Maxwell said: “I believe it's literally a fake photo.”
The imprisoned former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein also dismissed as "rubbish" Giuffre's claim that she was paid to have a relationship with Prince Andrew and that he had sex with her at Maxwell's London home.
Read our full story below.
Ghislaine Maxwell wants a pardon. Just how credible is testimony from a ‘known liar’?
09:00
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Oliver O'Connell
Skepticism abounds following the release of transcripts and recordings of Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Four years after her conviction and sentencing on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and other crimes, how credible is her testimony?
Read on...
ANALYSIS: The Maxwell interview knocks Trump’s Bolton revenge tour stop right off the page
08:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
President Donald Trump might have thought he had some distance from the Jeffrey Epstein headlines that were dragging down his poll numbers and made his base turn on him. But, over the last few weeks, the president has seen positive economic news, taken over the streets of Washington D.C. from local police and watched as his FBI raided the home of former adviser John Bolton.
Those stories were dominating the news cycle - until Ghislaine Maxwell made her return.
Continue reading...
Maxwell believes idea Epstein killed to silence him is 'ludicrous'
08:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell has told the deputy attorney general that she does not believe Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while in prison before he could be put on trial for trafficking charges of his own.
In newly released transcripts of her interview with Todd Blanche, the co-conspirator of the late sex offender also said she had no idea who killed him, pointed to the “dereliction of duty” of the prison system, and said she thought it “ludicrous” to believe an outside actor would have murdered Epstein behind bars out of fear of blackmail as they would have had plenty of opportunity when he was not in jail.
Continue reading...
Maxwell ‘absolutely never’ saw Trump engage in inappropriate activity with Epstein’s circle
07:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell said she never saw President Donald Trump behave inappropriately around anyone in Jeffrey Epstein's circle, a transcript of her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has revealed.
Blanche interviewed Maxwell, a former associate of Epstein’s, last month over two days in Tallahassee, Florida. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse young girls. About a week after the interview, the 63-year-old British socialite was moved to a minimum-security prison camp in Bryan, Texas.
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, D.C.
Democrats want Congress to hear from Epstein's victims — not just Maxwell
07:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are demanding that Chairman James Comer expand Congress’s investigation into the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case by allowing survivors of the disgraced financier’s abuse to testify.
Ariana Baio filed this report earlier this month.
Watch: Maxwell denied knowing about cameras at Epstein house — photos show they are there
06:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Coates: Maxwell denied knowing about any inappropriate cameras in Epstein's homes. We have this image published by the New York Times from Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, a surveillance camera pic.twitter.com/0hmxfSYtvD
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 23, 2025
Trump hasn't ruled out pardoning Maxwell — but can anyone trust her?
06:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Shortly after Todd Blanche interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, Alex Woodward assessed the potential impact of her testimony.
Ghislaine Maxwell wants a pardon. Just how credible is testimony from a ‘known liar’?
05:17
,
Oliver O'Connell
Skepticism abounds following the release of transcripts and recordings of Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Four years after her conviction and sentencing on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and other crimes, how credible is her testimony?
Read on...
Maxwell got ‘special preference’ with move to Texas Club Fed , says expert
05:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer from a Florida federal prison to a Texas prison camp, known for its relatively relaxed environment, reeks of “special preference,” experts say.
The disgraced British socialite, 63, who is serving 20 years for her part in a scheme to abuse and exploit girls with Jeffrey Epstein, met with the Justice Department last month as the Trump administration tries to tamp down speculation that it is withholding information on the late sex offender’s case.
Last week, Maxwell was moved from a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, to the minimum-security Bryan Federal Prison Camp. The Texas facility has been dubbed “Club Fed” for its relatively relaxed conditions, and houses Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah.
Kelly Rissman reports.
How Ghislaine Maxwell fell from high society to Epstein’s teen-procuring ‘lady’
04:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ariana Baio writes:
Ghislaine Maxwell is infamous for her role in helping her ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein, run a decades-long scheme to abuse and sex traffic young women and girls. But her life began with the privilege and promise that many can only dream of.
Maxwell, 63, is the daughter of a wealthy media baron and British politician. As a result, she grew up surrounded by affluent and powerful individuals — a pattern that trickled into adulthood and led to her meeting Epstein.
But ultimately, her proximity to Epstein, a wealthy financier who became a convicted sex offender, would be her downfall.
Read on...
New York judge refuses to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell’s grand jury transcripts
04:00
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Oliver O'Connell
A New York judge has refused a request from the Trump administration to unseal the federal grand jury transcripts in the case of sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The U.S. government had failed to cite any “special circumstance” that would warrant release of the transcripts and exhibits in Maxwell’s sex abuse case, wrote Judge Paul Engelmayer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in an opinion Monday.
Read on...
Epstein’s former lawyer wants Ghislaine Maxwell released so that she can testify
03:53
,
Oliver O'Connell
A former attorney for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein says his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, should be granted immunity so she can testify about his crimes.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Epstein’s former lawyer Alan Dershowitz said Maxwell “absolutely” should testify as she was most closely involved with Epstein.
“She knows everything. I mean, she is everything,” Dershowitz said.
Here’s Isabel Keane’s report from July:
Trump has privately pondered if Epstein accusers are just ‘Democrats’ trying to make him look bad, report claims
03:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump has privately labeled some of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking victims as “clearly” Democrats, a report claims.
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse have for weeks publicly criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the files linked to the disgraced financier.
Behind closed doors, the president has allegedly grown frustrated as his efforts to move past the uproar have been undermined.
James Liddell has the story.
Watch: Maxwell's testimony contradicts victims
03:10
,
Oliver O'Connell
CNN: Maxwell notably denies that any wrongdoing took place on her behalf. Something that contradicts what we've heard from victims and clearly what she was convicted of pic.twitter.com/CGMf8RgO3S
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 23, 2025
'She clearly also does want something from Trump'
03:04
,
Oliver O'Connell
Attorney and legal scholar Jonathan Turley appeared on Fox News tonight to share his thoughts with Jesse Watters on what was revealed today from the Ghislaine Maxwell transcripts and recordings of her interview with the Department of Justice.
Turley noted the “sense of disappointment” when Maxwell said there was no client list.
“She was immediately denounced as a liar and that there has to be a list and that she was protecting the president,” he said. “There is another possibility, and that is she didn't have anything on the president, and perhaps there is not a list… is she gaming the system? Probably.”
Turley: She was immediately denounced as a liar and that there has to be a list and that she was protecting the president. There is another possibility and that is she didn't have anything on the president and perhaps there is not a list… is she gaming the system? Probably pic.twitter.com/Aeo9HuPDkR
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 23, 2025
Turley went on to say: “She clearly also does want something from Trump, she wants a commutation. That might not come until the end of the term. She is clearly angling for it.”
Turley: She clearly also does want something from Trump, she wants a commutation. That might not come until the end of the term. She is clearly angling for it. pic.twitter.com/4QOmkhe8Jn
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 23, 2025
ICYMI: Judge shoots down Trump DOJ bid to unseal Epstein grand jury notes
03:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
The Department of Justice has struck out with all requests to federal judges to unseal grand jury transcripts and other materials related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Alex Woodward filed this report on Wednesday.
Is Maxwell's testimony credible? #2 — the client list
02:46
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell testified to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that there is no Jeffrey Epstein client list. This echoes what the Department of Justice said in early July that sparked a furore amongst the MAGA base who have years been told of its existence by some of the people now in senior roles in the Trump adminsitration.
While Attorney General Pam Bondi had said early this year that she had it on her desk, she later clarified that she meant the files relating to the case, not a specific list itself.
On The Will Cain Show this afternoon on Fox News, correspondent Shannon Bream noted that this tracks with what former Epstein lawyer Alan Derschowitz told her some time before — there was no formal list, and you wouldn’t expect someone to keep one.
Watch that moment here:
Ghislaine Maxwell told the DOJ that there is no Jeffrey Epstein client list | @ShannonBream @WillCainShow_ pic.twitter.com/gKmcJXvrPM
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 22, 2025
Jesse Watters noted that although there may not be a formal list, there are flight manifests, security footage, and other documents that he believes serve as a substitute for an actual list of clients.
Jesse Watters: "The list doesn’t exist? So, flight manifests don’t exist? The surveillance tapes don’t exist? The bank records don’t exist?" | @JesseBWatters pic.twitter.com/1nnbbKuXsT
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 23, 2025
In short, Maxwell’s denial of the existence of the list, even if true, doesn’t sound like it will put to bed the swirling conspiracy theories around Epstein and his high-profile associates.
Maxwell ‘absolutely never’ saw Trump engage in inappropriate activity
02:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell said she never saw President Donald Trump behave inappropriately around anyone in Jeffrey Epstein's circle, a transcript of her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has revealed.
Blanche interviewed Maxwell last month over two days in Tallahassee, Florida. The 63-year-old British socialite is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse young girls.
In the wide-ranging interview, Maxwell responded to questions about several famous people with alleged connections to Epstein, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.
Katie Hawkinson reports.
Maxwell does not believe that Epstein died by suicide
02:10
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell has told the deputy attorney general that she does not believe Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while in prison before he could be put on trial for trafficking charges of his own.
In newly released transcripts of her interview with Todd Blanche, the co-conspirator of the late sex offender also said she had no idea who killed him, pointed to the “dereliction of duty” of the prison system, and said she thought it “ludicrous” to believe an outside actor would have murdered Epstein behind bars out of fear of blackmail as they would have had plenty of opportunity when he was not in jail.
Epstein was found dead in his prison cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges on August 10, 2019. The disgraced financier’s death was officially ruled a suicide.
Continue reading...
Is Maxwell’s testimony credible?
01:55
,
Oliver O'Connell
Not unexpectedly, there is a certain amount of skepticism surrounding Ghislaine Maxwell’s Justice Department interview — not just about the subject and the content, but also the timing of the release of the transcripts.
CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig appeared on the network earlier this evening and was especially skeptical of what convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Speaking to Phil Mattingly, guest host of The Lead with Jake Tapper, Honig was asked, from what he had read of the transcripts, whether this was a credible interview.
“Oh my gosh, no, Phil. I’m most of the way through the transcript now,” he said.
“In this transcript, Ghislaine Maxwell provides a simply bizarre worldview wherein almost nobody did anything wrong. She doesn’t even actually implicate Jeffrey Epstein.”
Maxwell also maintains her own innocence, despite being convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“If one believes that worldview, fine,” the former federal prosecutor continued. “Then maybe Ghislaine Maxwell is credible. I certainly do not. I find it impossible to believe her account of things.”
As to the timing of the release — mid-afternoon on a Friday in late August — Honig said: “It tells me they’re gonna do nothing next with respect to actually making criminal cases.”
He continued: “I said from the start, the fact that DOJ is even considering releasing this transcript, which they now have done, that in itself is a tell, because if you were planning to ever make new criminal cases based on Ghislaine Maxwell’s information, releasing her transcript like they’ve just done is the last thing you would ever do. It would tip off your potential targets. It would tip off your investigative methods.”
Honid added:” And beyond that, Phil, as I just said, I’m actually surprised to see she doesn’t even implicate anybody. I mean, even if a juror was to take everything in this transcript as true, there would be nobody else to charge or convict with anything. Yet another reason why I’m just not buying this.”
Mattingly raised the pertinent question of the hour: What does Maxwell gain from this?
“Is there a chance that Maxwell could get a reduced sentence because of this?” he asked.
“There’s a couple of chances,” Honig replied. “So first of all, she still has an appeal pending. She’s trying to get the U.S. Supreme Court to take her case. It’s unlikely, but it’s possible.”
He continued: “She also could receive what’s called a Rule 35 letter from the Justice Department. That’s when a prosecutor goes to her judge after sentencing, where we are now, and says, ‘I’d like you to reduce her sentence.’ That’s up to DOJ, whether they want to make that motion.
Honig concluded: “But finally, she could get a pardon or commutation… She’s absolutely playing for that. She goes out of her way to praise Donald Trump.”
Mattingly also spoke with House Oversight Committee ranking member Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia about the Epstein files that the panel received from the Department of Justice.
Garcia has gone out of his way to remind people that Maxwell is a convicted sex trafficker who “cannot be trusted.”
Here’s what he had to say:
House Oversight Cmte Dem: Reviewing "every page and line" of Epstein files
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) August 22, 2025
Watch the full video here: https://t.co/S3fotHP3BE pic.twitter.com/xY7Ctzcuqc
Listen: Maxwell discusses if Bill Clinton ever went to Epstein's island
01:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Watch: Odd moment on Fox News as camera cuts mid-discussion
01:35
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ingraham: Their take is of course she was going to say this because she wants a pardon, she wanted better digs, and she got transferred, and you say?
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 22, 2025
*Camera cuts out* pic.twitter.com/jsaJObvupI
What did Maxwell say about other celebrities whose names appeared in court records?
01:25
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ghislaine Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that, to her knowledge, actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker did not visit any of Epstein's properties, according to transcripts of her testimony to the Justice Department.
Naomi Campbell, whose name has also appeared in unsealed records, was described by Maxwell as having a friendship with Epstein that was “independent” of her.
The actors and the supermodel were among the prominent figures whose names appeared in unsealed Epstein records, though none have been linked to any of Epstein's crimes.
Here’s a full list of people who appeared in those records:
Watch: Maxwell talks about Epstein's birthday book
01:08
