Ghislaine Maxwell Reportedly Tells DOJ About 100 Potential Epstein Associates as She Angles for Trump Pardon By Ben Brachfeld 337

Ghislaine Maxwell met with a top official in the Department of Justice for a second day on Friday — and reportedly answered questions about dozens of people’s connections to her late confidante, billionaire child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as she openly angles for a pardon from President Donald Trump.

Maxwell’s lawyer, David Markus, told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Fla. — near where she is incarcerated — that Epstein’s convicted “madam” didn’t hold back in telling Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche what she knows, dishing on about 100 people the administration suspects may have had ties to the deceased sex criminal.

“I think Ghislaine did a wonderful job. She literally answered every question,” said Markus. “She didn’t say, ‘You know what, don’t ask me that, I’m not gonna talk about this person.’ She was asked maybe about 100 different people, she answered questions about everybody and she didn’t hold anything back.”

Maxwell was convicted on child sex trafficking charges in 2021 for her role in facilitating Epstein’s abuse of young girls. But as questions continue to swirl over whether the Trump administration is covering up evidence of malfeasance in the “Epstein Files,” the administration reached out to Maxwell — who did not testify in her defense at trial — in the hopes she could shed new light on the disgraced financier’s notorious crimes.

Epstein — who associated with high-profile figures like Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew — was arrested on sex trafficking charges in 2019 but was found dead in his jail cell a month later in what was deemed a suicide by hanging, a ruling that has generated controversy and speculation.

Markus told reporters that his team had not spoken to the president about a pardon, and said “no asks and no promises” had been exchanged during the meeting with Blanche — but he said Maxwell “would welcome any relief.”

He also disputed claims that Maxwell was motivated to tell Blanche what he wanted to hear.

“She wants to tell the truth, because the truth can be corroborated or disproven,” said Markus. “If she lies, they can charge her with lying.”

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Trump’s ties to Epstein have come under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks, after the DOJ released a report stating that the financier’s widely rumored “client list” did not exist — and that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prosecute any alleged co-conspirators.

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The president sued the Wall Street Journal after the paper reported he had once sent Epstein a bawdy birthday letter where he said the two of them share “certain things in common.” PEOPLE has not seen the letter.

The paper also reported that Trump was informed as far back as May that his name appeared in the government’s Epstein documents.

DOJ officials sought the release of transcripts from the Florida grand juries that heard evidence against Epstein in 2005 and 2007, but the request was denied by a federal judge. Meanwhile, Maxwell was subpoenaed for a deposition by the House Oversight Committee, which Markus said is expected to occur the week of Aug. 11.

Asked Friday if he has considered pardoning Maxwell or commuting her sentence, Trump told reporters: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.”

In response, Markus said he and Maxwell “hope he exercises that power in the right and just way.”