DOJ Official to Meet with Ghislaine Maxwell as Congress Moves to Subpoena Her amid Epstein Scandal By Liam Quinn and Ben Brachfeld

A top official in the Department of Justice plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted “madam,” to discuss what she may know about crimes committed by associates of the disgraced financier.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Tuesday morning, shared by Attorney General Pam Bondi, that “if Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and DOJ will hear what she has to say.”

Blanche continued that he had reached out to Maxwell’s lawyers to ask for a meeting, and that he “anticipate[s] meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.”

“Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government,” said Blanche. “That changes now.”

The news came the same morning that the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Maxwell for a deposition — and that Speaker Mike Johnson ordered the House into recess early rather than acceding to Democratic demands for a vote on releasing the “Epstein files.”

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Maxwell, one of Epstein’s closest confidantes, was convicted on child sex trafficking charges in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. She is currently incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee in Florida.

Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, confirmed the discussions with DOJ on X.

“I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully,” said Markus. “We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.”

Markus declined further comment in the post on X. It’s not clear if Maxwell, who did not testify in her own defense at her trial, might use the meeting as leverage to secure a lighter sentence or even a pardon.

The Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case has received renewed scrutiny.

Earlier this year, Bondi said that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk” waiting to be released, only for the DOJ to declare later that no such client list existed and there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute any potential co-conspirators. The news has not sat well with Democrats or even many Republicans, who have demanded the government release all the files it has related to the Epstein case.

Trump himself, who was associated with Epstein for many years before a falling-out in the mid-2000s, has pleaded with his political base to stop talking about Epstein, calling the ongoing focus on the disgraced pedophile “unbelievable.”

Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a person under 18 for prostitution in 2008 and served over a year in jail, following a widely-criticized plea deal with federal prosecutors. He was arrested again in 2019 on sex trafficking charges but was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell a month later.

Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide, but the circumstances of his death remain controversial and have generated suspicion, especially among Trump’s political base, due to the secrets he may have taken with him to the grave.

Epstein’s brother, Mark, said last week that he has grown more suspicious over time that his brother was murdered.

“More and more, I believe he was murdered,” Mark Epstein told NBC News. “And everyone who looks at all the information that’s out there on facts comes to the same conclusion.”

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Trump specifically has faced questions about his past association with Epstein, especially after his former top lieutenant Elon Musk tweeted that Trump is “in the Epstein files.”

The questions reached a fever pitch when The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump allegedly wrote a highly suggestive birthday note to Epstein, noting he has “certain things in common” with the pedophile.

The alleged birthday letter, written inside an outline of a naked woman, was signed “Donald” and concluded “may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump called the letter “fake” and sued the Journal for $20 billion.