Overview

• In his first on-record remarks, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said determining Ghislaine Maxwell’s credibility would take weeks and was not the goal of his July sit-down.
• Blanche said the purpose was to let Maxwell answer questions on the record and that the public can decide whether to believe her.
• The Justice Department released transcripts of the two-day interview last month, following long-running scrutiny of Epstein-related records.
• Maxwell, convicted in 2021 and serving a 20-year sentence, previously faced perjury counts tied to a 2016 deposition that prosecutors later dropped after her conviction.
• Commentators and survivor advocates criticized the approach as giving Maxwell a platform without rigorous vetting, while separate reporting says she was moved to a low-security Texas camp and that her lawyers are seeking a pardon.