The Department of Justice has released the full transcript and audio recordings of a closed-door interview with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. The materials come from a two-day session in late July between Maxwell and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — a former personal lawyer to Donald Trump.
“I’m releasing the complete transcript and audio of my proffer of Ms. Maxwell,” Blanche announced Friday. “The audio is divided into segments to reflect breaks during the interview. Some segments are shorter than others. Shorter segments are a result of audio tests and size limitations per recorded session. Except for the names of victims, every word is included. Nothing removed. Nothing hidden.”
The release follows public backlash after the Trump DOJ issued a memo earlier in July, effectively declaring the Epstein case closed and dismissing years of conspiracy theories surrounding his network of powerful friends and alleged co-conspirators.
The materials include a transcript broken into four parts and over a dozen audio files. According to ABC News, Maxwell “provided no incriminating information” during the interview. Still, internal sources told the outlet that Blanche was urged by top Trump officials to dig for anything that could help ease outrage among Trump’s base over Epstein’s ties to the president.
One quote from Maxwell raised eyebrows. Speaking about Trump, she said, “President Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me. And I just want to say that I find — I — I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the President now. And I like him, and I’ve always liked him.”
The interview — and everything surrounding it — has ignited criticism from all sides. After the session, Maxwell was quietly transferred to a more comfortable prison facility, drawing accusations of special treatment. Some lawmakers see it as more than just favoritism.
“The transfer follows Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s private interviews of Ms. Maxwell arranged after a firestorm of media attention about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) refusal to release the full Epstein files as originally demanded by President Donald Trump,” wrote Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) in a letter to the DOJ. “These actions raise substantial concerns that the Administration may now be attempting to tamper with a crucial witness, conceal President Trump’s relationship with convicted sex offenders, and coax Ms. Maxwell into providing false or misleading testimony in order to protect the President.”
So far, no new charges or developments have come out of the interview. But with the Epstein case reigniting public anger and political tension, the DOJ’s decision to finally release the tapes may be just the beginning — not the end.
