US Justice Department unveils Ghislaine Maxwell interview transcript

The US Justice Department has released a transcript of an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In the interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell stated that she had never seen US President Donald Trump in an inappropriate setting.

Maxwell mentioned possibly meeting Trump in 1990 when her father, newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell, owned the New York Daily News and was friendly with Trump and his then-wife Ivana. Maxwell was sentenced in June 2022 to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking offenses related to Epstein.

Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, had connections to prominent figures like Trump. Maxwell denied introducing Epstein to Prince Andrew and refuted allegations of sexual misconduct involving the Duke of York and Virginia Giuffre.

Maxwell also denied claims that Prince Andrew had sex with Giuffre at her residence and disputed the authenticity of a photo showing Andrew with his arm around Giuffre. Maxwell's interview with the Justice Department took place before her transfer to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas.

Trump faced criticism for not releasing further details on Epstein after promising to do so during his election campaign. Maxwell's legal team has sought a pardon from Trump, although the president stated that he had not been asked for one regarding Maxwell's case.