Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell told Justice Department officials last month that President Donald Trump “was never inappropriate with anybody” during the years he and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were acquaintances, according to a transcript made public on Friday.
Maxwell sat for a roughly nine-hour, two-day interview in July with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in Tallahassee, Florida, where she was asked about her past interactions with Trump and Epstein. She told DOJ officials she “never saw President Trump do anything wrong or concerning” in her presence, according to transcripts.
“Did you ever observe President Trump receive a massage?” Blanche asked Maxwell during the interview, to which she said she “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,” Maxwell added.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Markus, said she answered questions “maybe about 100 different people” and “didn’t hold anything back” when speaking to federal officials. At the beginning of the interview, Blanche can be heard on an audio recording informing Maxwell that she is sworn to tell the truth, noting that any false statements could result in charges being levied against her.
Maxwell also denied the existence of an Epstein “client list” or blackmail network and compared the public’s fixation on such rumors to a “witch hunt.”
The Justice Department released the interview transcripts and audio on Friday, saying the disclosure was meant to counter “rampant speculation” about Trump’s relationship with Epstein following Epstein’s death in federal custody in August 2019.
In addition to her statements about Trump, Maxwell also made comments that could address a number of conspiracies and online rumors about her family. In one instance, she was asked if her father, Robert Maxwell, had any intelligence connections.
“I think that, my sort of belief is that once you’ve been an intelligence officer, you’re kind of — always, it doesn’t mean that you’re formally employed,” Maxwell said.
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The transcripts span more than 300 pages and offer the most detailed government record to date of Maxwell’s recollections about Trump’s ties to Epstein. Blanche’s office said her testimony will be reviewed alongside other materials as the administration continues defending its handling of the Epstein case.
This is a developing story and will be updated.