Washington (BN24) – The U.S. Justice Department on Friday released the full transcript and audio of a confidential interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, revealing her disbelief in the official finding that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and her insistence that she never saw President Donald Trump behave inappropriately.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the release, stating that it was made “in the interest of transparency.” The document sheds light on Maxwell’s conversations with federal officials before her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges tied to her longtime association with Epstein.
In the interview, Maxwell bluntly rejected the New York medical examiner’s ruling that Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. “I do not believe he died by suicide,” she told Blanche, according to the transcript.
Maxwell also sought to distance Trump from any accusations of misconduct. “I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way,” she said. “The president was never inappropriate with anybody.”
Her defense attorney, David Markus, argued in a lengthy statement that Maxwell had been wrongfully prosecuted, claiming she was scapegoated following Epstein’s death. “She never committed or participated in sexual abuse against minors, or anyone else for that matter,” Markus said. “The government admitted it did not even consider her a conspirator during the Florida investigation into Epstein. The only reason she was charged is because Epstein died in prison.”
Markus further thanked both Blanche and the Trump administration for making the transcript public. “We are grateful to the Department of Justice and to Todd Blanche for allowing the public to judge for themselves,” he said. “And we are thankful to the President for his continued commitment to the truth in this matter and for refusing to cave to the mob.”
During the interview, Maxwell denied that Epstein engaged in blackmail schemes involving photos or videos. Asked directly by Blanche if she had ever heard Epstein accused of extortion or coercion, Maxwell replied: “No.”
However, prosecutors and the judge who oversaw her 2021 trial sharply criticized Maxwell’s credibility. Prosecutors said she had “brazenly lied under oath” to avoid accountability, while Judge Alison Nathan, who sentenced her to 20 years in prison, noted that although Maxwell acknowledged the pain of victims, she stopped short of accepting responsibility for her own crimes.
Maxwell was convicted of recruiting, grooming, and trafficking teenage girls for Epstein, crimes that spanned years. She was also accused of perjury for false statements in a 2016 deposition, though those charges were later dropped after her trafficking conviction. Maxwell continues to appeal her conviction from prison.
The release of her interview is the latest chapter in a case that continues to stir controversy and conspiracy theories, particularly surrounding Epstein’s death and the powerful figures linked to his social circle.
