The Trump administration is considering releasing the transcript from the Justice Department’s interview with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell that was conducted last month.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sat down with Maxwell over two days to ask her what she knew about the Epstein case as the White House dealt with MAGA outrage over its handling of the Epstein files.
There is audio of that interview, and three senior administration officials told CNN that they are considering releasing the transcript publicly.
Maxwell is serving 20 years in prison after being found guilty of sex trafficking in connection with the disgraced financier in 2021.
Blanche traveled down to Tallahassee, Florida, to meet with Maxwell at a federal courthouse to conduct the interviews. The Justice Department faced backlash for backtracking over the release of the files, as well as claiming there was no Epstein client list and that there would not be any further charges.
Maxwell answered all of his questions over two days about 100 different people, according to her lawyer.
The Trump administration has been transcribing and digitizing the recording, CNN reported. Parts of the transcript that could reveal sensitive details, such as victim names, would be redacted. One official said no final decision on its release has been made.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
The Maxwell interview came as the president has been facing ongoing questions about his own relationship with Epstein. Trump has refused to rule out pardoning Maxwell, though he claimed last month when asked about it that he had not considered it.
The president has been visibly frustrated about being asked about the convicted sex offender he called a “terrific guy” in 2002, as a series of damaging reports detailed new details about their relationship.
The White House has struggled to get control of the narrative as MAGA supporters and U.S. lawmakers demand more information.
Should the Justice Department move forward with releasing the transcript, it would keep Epstein’s name in the headlines alongside Trump’s longer, but it could also present an opportunity to take control of the narrative on a story they cannot sweep under the rug.
Legal experts have noted how unusual it was for Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal criminal attorney, to conduct the Maxwell interview, having never been involved in the Epstein case.
Last week, Maxwell was transferred to a minimum security prison camp in Texas. The timing and way the transfer was conducted have raised eyebrows.
While the Trump administration insisted the move was not out of the ordinary and insisted that any assertion Maxwell was given preferential treatment “is absurd,” the Federal Bureau of Prisons would have had to waive conventional policy to transfer her.
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