Opinion: Why the Man Who Cries ‘Witch Hunt’ Is Trying to Free a Witch

As questions about his relationship with the monstrous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein persist, President Donald Trump is once again saying he is the target of a “witch hunt.”

But, if any plot is actually afoot, it is more likely an attempted witch release.

Free the witch!

The witch in question being Ghislaine Maxwell, a onetime Epstein girlfriend who is serving a 2O-year prison sentence for joining him in trafficking underage girls. She has filed an appeal, but her best hope of not spending most of the rest of her life behind bars is presidential clemency.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Maxwell is the person who assembled the album of “bawdy” letters marking Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. That means she should be able to say whether the letters included one from then-pal Donald Trump, which the newspaper described as a typewritten imaginary exchange between him and Epstein framed by a drawing of a naked woman, with a signed ”Donald” in the place of pubic hair.

Trump immediately denounced the Journal’s report as “fake news” and insisted “I never wrote a picture in my life.” He thereby seemed to violate an old New York police adage, “Always use the truth as home base.” A quick Google check produced numerous drawings signed by Trump and donated for charity auctions.

“It takes me a few minutes to draw something, in my case, it’s usually a building or a cityscape of skyscrapers, and then sign my name,” he said in the 2008 book, Trump—Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges Into Success.

But even some Trump foes allowed that the imagined typewritten exchange quoted by the Journal did not sound like anything Trump could conjure. One possible explanation is that he had somebody else compose it. He may also have had somebody make the drawing. The charity offerings, one of which is now on eBay for $30,000, may also have been drawn by an underling. Maybe Trump technically did not actually “write” the Epstein birthday picture.

Maxwell is one person in a position to know.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a statement on X by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that he expects to be speaking with Maxwell sometime in the days ahead. Blanche was Trump’s lead defense attorney in the porn star hush money trial that ended in his felony conviction last year. Blanche now began by saying he stands by a July 6 statement by the DOJ and the FBI “that in the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”

In other words, the DOJ had concluded there were no Epstein files or client list as imagined by MAGA conspiracy theorists. There are FBI files that would result from any investigation, and The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the DOJ notified Trump in the spring that his name was among many that appear in them. This was something Blanche failed to mention.

Blanche also did not acknowledge that things have changed since the Journal’s report on Tuesday about the birthday letter. That is almost certainly a factor in the DOJ’s sudden interest in speaking to Maxwell.

“Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department,” Blanche wrote, suggesting that it was initiated by the DOJ.

Blanche added, “President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.”

Q: Do you support the DOJ seeking an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell?TRUMP: I don’t know anything about it. They’re gonna what?Q: The deputy AG has reached out to Ghislaine MaxwellTRUMP: It sounds appropriate to do, yeah. I don’t really follow that too much. The witch hunt… pic.twitter.com/sONkREyyVt

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2025

In an Oval Office interview later on Tuesday, Trump pleaded ignorance about this latest development in the Epstein mess that continues to roil his base.

“I don’t know anything about it,” he said. “I don’t really follow that too much. It’s sort of a witch hunt.”

Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Marcus posted online that, “I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.”

The problem for all concerned is that it is nearly impossible to gauge Maxwell’s veracity.

In a scathing pre-sentence report following her conviction on sex trafficking charges, the government stated that Maxwell had lied repeatedly—not just about her crimes, but about everything from her assets to the conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) where she was remanded during the trial.

“Simply put, the defendant lies when it suits her,” the report concluded.

The report noted that Maxwell had repeatedly complained about “serious weight loss” during her confinement.

“During her time at the MDC, the defendant’s weight has fluctuated between the 130s and the 140s,” the report noted. “Medical records reflect that the defendant weighed 146 pounds when she was arrested, and she weighed 144.5 pounds when she was last weighed.”

The report concluded, “In short, the defendant’s claims of extreme weight loss are not true.”

The report continued, “At bottom, the defendant’s complaints about jail seem to come down to the vast gulf between the conditions of her confinement and the defendant’s lived experience up until her arrest and detention on July 2, 2020. Until [then], the defendant spent her entire life living in extraordinary luxury. Her childhood and adolescence were filled with wealth and privilege. That access to wealth continued into adulthood when the defendant found a benefactor in Epstein, who provided her with millions of dollars and invited her to share in his luxurious lifestyle of mansions, house staff, private chefs, and private planes.”

The report suggested, “It is no wonder, then, that she found jail jarring. Going from being waited on hand and foot to incarceration is undoubtedly a shocking and unpleasant experience.”

But, the report contended, “If anything, the defendant’s privilege remained intact while at the MDC, as demonstrated by the exceptional benefits she received. No other inmate received the kind of access to discovery and to counsel that the defendant did.

“The defendant had her own shower, her own television, her own desktop computer, her own laptop, and her own space to spend the day outside of her cell,” the report continued. “The defendant was able to get any concerns, no matter how small, immediately brought to the attention of MDC legal counsel through her attorneys.”

And now, Maxwell has an opportunity to tell the DOJ’s No. 2 whatever tale she feels serves her best. She is very likely to say that Epstein was buddies with Trump, but had nothing to do with underage girls, preferring married women. That may well be true

But, given the circumstances, Maxwell is also liable to say no, Trump did not give Epstein that letter for the birthday book in 2003.

And there will be no way to be confident she is being truthful.

The government chose not to pursue two perjury counts in Maxwell’s original indictment, but some of her responses under oath during a Q&A in a related civil suit remain part of the court record.

Q: Did Jeffrey Epstein have a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages?

A: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Another question was prompted by considerable testimony from victims backed by photographic evidence that Epstein used a variety of vibrators.

Q: Do you know whether Mr. Epstein possessed sex toys or devices used in sexual activities?

A: No.

Meanwhile, anybody who thinks it is unfair to call Maxwell a witch should consider the closing lines of the pre-sentencing report.

“Ghislaine Maxwell sexually exploited young girls for years. It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of her crimes and the harm she caused. Her crimes demand justice.”

Now, it seems, she may be able to find a way to escape it.

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