The Justice Department’s No. 2 official met Thursday with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Florida meeting is part of the Justice Department’s effort to show transparency after backlash from President Donald Trump’s supporters over its earlier refusal to release more Epstein records.
“Ms. Maxwell answered every single question. She never stopped, she never invoked a privilege, she never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly, and to the best of her ability,” attorney David Oscar Markus told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, where Maxwell met with Blanche.
In a social media post Tuesday, Blanche said that Trump “has told us to release all credible evidence” and that if Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the Justice Department “will hear what she has to say.”
Markus said his team was “thankful” the deputy attorney general came to question Maxwell, calling it a “good day.”
Asked if his client could potentially receive a pardon or see her prison term reduced, Markus said: “There’s no promises yet. So she’s just answering questions for now.”
The House Committee on Oversight issued a subpoena Wednesday for Maxwell to testify before committee officials in August.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence and is housed at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She was sentenced three years ago after being convicted of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
Officials have said Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019. However, the case has generated attention and conspiracy theories due to Epstein and Maxwell’s connections to prominent individuals, including royals, presidents, and billionaires.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department stated that it would not release additional files related to the Epstein investigation, despite previous promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi that contradicted this stance. The department also said an Epstein client list does not exist.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Bondi told Trump in May that his name was among high-profile people mentioned in government files of Epstein, though the mention does not imply wrongdoing.
Trump has said that he once thought Epstein was a “terrific guy” but that they later had a falling out.
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With inputs from Associated Press