The U.S. Justice Department’s decision on August 25, 2025, to release hundreds of pages of transcripts and audio from a two-day interview with Ghislaine Maxwell has reignited fierce debate over the legacy of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and the powerful figures entangled in his orbit. The interview, conducted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—who previously served as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer—offered Maxwell a rare public platform from her prison cell, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in recruiting underage girls for Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.
According to AFP-JIJI Press News Journal, the transcripts leave little out. Blanche emphasized, “Except for the names of victims, every word is included. Nothing removed. Nothing hidden.” This unprecedented transparency, however, has been met with outrage from survivors and their families, who accuse the Justice Department of allowing Maxwell to “rewrite history.”
Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family, in particular, voiced their fury. Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, died by suicide in April 2025. Her family released a statement condemning the DOJ’s move: “The content of these transcripts is in direct contradiction with felon Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction for child sex trafficking. This travesty of justice entirely invalidates the experiences of the many brave survivors who put their safety, security, and lives on the line to ensure her conviction, including our sister.”
During the interview, Maxwell denied all allegations of wrongdoing against herself and Epstein, including those made by Giuffre. She dismissed Giuffre’s claims of being groomed and trafficked, and specifically challenged Giuffre’s accusations against Prince Andrew, Duke of York, asserting, “I believe that this whole thing was manufactured, and I can point you to some potentially corroborating evidence of this.” Prince Andrew, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum.
Maxwell’s denials extended to other high-profile names. She insisted she never witnessed Donald Trump, a former friend of Epstein, in any inappropriate setting. “I never saw the president in any type of massage setting,” she said. “I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way. The president was never inappropriate with anybody.” Maxwell described Trump as “always very cordial and very kind to me,” adding, “I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now.”
She further refuted the existence of an incriminating “client list” of powerful men who benefited from Epstein’s crimes. “Epstein did not keep any sort of client list,” she stated, and insisted, “I never saw it and I never imagined it.” Maxwell also claimed ignorance of any blackmailing of prominent figures, a rumor that has fueled conspiracy theories for years.
Perhaps most strikingly, Maxwell cast doubt on the official account of Epstein’s death in a New York jail cell in 2019. “I do not believe he died by suicide,” she told Blanche, echoing suspicions shared by many observers but contradicted by the FBI and Justice Department’s official findings.
The timing and manner of the interview have drawn sharp criticism from multiple quarters. Senator Adam Schiff, D-Calif., appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” to question Maxwell’s motives and the Justice Department’s approach. “They go and they do this interview without the presence of a prosecutor who actually knows the facts,” Schiff said. “She wants a pardon. She says exactly what her lawyers tell her is going to be necessary to get a pardon. No one should be surprised here.”
Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, fired back in a statement, saying Schiff was “flat-out wrong.” Markus argued, “Ghislaine Maxwell has been consistent from day one, and her testimony is backed by documents — not politics. If she wanted to make up stories to curry favor, she could have targeted Democrats like President Clinton. She didn’t because she’s telling the truth. The good Congressman may fancy himself a mind reader, but on this he’s flat-out wrong.”
Maxwell’s legal team has long maintained her innocence. Markus reiterated, “Ghislaine Maxwell is innocent and never should have been tried, much less convicted, in this case. She never committed or participated in sexual abuse against minors, or anyone else for that matter. The only reason she was ever charged is that she served as a scapegoat after Jeffrey Epstein died in prison.”
Adding to the controversy, the Justice Department transferred Maxwell from a low-security, co-ed prison in Tallahassee, Florida, to a women-only, minimum-security facility in Bryan, Texas, following her interview with Blanche. The Bureau of Prisons did not disclose the reason for the move. Giuffre’s family responded with anger, stating, “By moving convicted felon Maxwell to a minimum-security, country club prison, the DOJ sends a disturbing message that child sex trafficking is acceptable and will be rewarded.” The Bryan facility also houses other high-profile inmates, including reality television star Jen Shah and Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
The transcript release was part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to uncover more information about Epstein’s crimes—a topic of enduring fascination and suspicion among Trump’s supporters. A House of Representatives committee had subpoenaed the so-called Epstein files and received the first batch of records from the Justice Department on August 22, 2025. According to AFP-JIJI Press News Journal, Trump’s name was among hundreds discovered during a Justice Department review, but there has been no evidence of wrongdoing on his part.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, however, downplayed the impact of the DOJ’s document dump, noting that “the vast majority” of the 33,000 records released in the first batch were already public.
Meanwhile, Trump himself has not ruled out the possibility of pardoning Maxwell, a woman he has known for decades. When asked about granting her legal relief, Trump said, “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.” Absent a presidential pardon, Maxwell is seeking relief from the Supreme Court, which is expected to decide in September whether to review her appeal of the conviction.
Maxwell’s interview, the subsequent transcript release, and the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files have laid bare the deep divides surrounding the case. Survivors and their advocates see the Justice Department’s actions as a betrayal, while Maxwell and her defenders insist she is the victim of a miscarriage of justice. As the legal and political battles continue, the voices of those most affected—the survivors—remain at the heart of this ongoing and painful saga.
