In a move that has reignited controversy and debate, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released transcripts and audio from a two-day interview conducted last month with Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex-trafficking co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein. The release, made public on August 22, 2025, has drawn sharp criticism from survivors’ families and legal experts, with many accusing the DOJ of offering Maxwell a platform to challenge her conviction and rewrite the narrative surrounding one of the most notorious abuse scandals of recent decades.
Maxwell, who has been incarcerated since 2020 and is serving a 20-year sentence at a minimum-security prison in Texas, met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in Tallahassee, Florida, in July. According to ABC News, the meeting was billed as an opportunity for Maxwell to provide information about “anyone who has committed crimes against victims,” as the DOJ sought to gather further details about Epstein’s vast network and criminal activities.
Yet, as the transcripts reveal, much of the conversation centered on Maxwell’s own defenses and her denials of the most explosive allegations — particularly those made by Virginia Giuffre, the American woman who accused Maxwell and Epstein of trafficking her to several high-profile men, including Prince Andrew. Giuffre, who died by apparent suicide in April 2025, has long been at the center of the case, her family championing her legacy and condemning Maxwell as a “predator who thought only of herself, she destroyed the lives of girls and young women without conscience.”
During the interview, Maxwell was adamant in rejecting Giuffre’s claims. When pressed about the infamous photograph showing herself, Prince Andrew, and Giuffre as a teenager in Maxwell’s London home, Maxwell dismissed it outright. “What’s an even bigger word than b------t?” she asked rhetorically, before adding, “I believe that this whole thing was manufactured.” She elaborated, “What I can absolutely categorically say is that I never at any time set Andrew up to have relations with her or any other human being ever.”
Maxwell attempted to bolster her denial with details about her whereabouts, stating that the alleged encounter in March 2001 could not have happened because she was celebrating her mother Elisabeth’s 80th birthday at her brother’s countryside home. “I believe it’s literally a fake photo,” Maxwell insisted. She further claimed that the layout of her London residence made the alleged sexual activity physically impossible, describing the bathroom as “so small, you can’t lie flat on the floor. So it couldn’t happen on the floor because you physically can’t.”
Giuffre, for her part, had always maintained the authenticity of the photo and her account. In a 2019 interview with BBC Panorama, she said, “I’m calling BS on this. He knows what happened. I know what happened. There’s only one of us telling the truth, and I know it’s me.”
The interview also touched on Maxwell’s relationships with other prominent figures swept up in the Epstein scandal. According to the DOJ transcripts, Maxwell denied ever witnessing inappropriate conduct from either Donald Trump or former President Bill Clinton, two men whose names have repeatedly surfaced in connection with Epstein’s social circle. “Trump seemed friendly with Epstein,” Maxwell recalled, but emphasized she had only seen the two together in “social settings.” She described Trump as “a gentleman in all respects,” adding, “I have never seen him in any massage setting.” She also denied knowledge of any so-called “client list” of individuals who might have benefited from Epstein’s crimes.
Maxwell’s claims, however, have done little to sway Giuffre’s family or other survivors. In a statement issued after the transcript release, Giuffre’s relatives said, “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.”
The family also lambasted the DOJ for what they saw as a lack of rigor in the interview, arguing that Maxwell was never sufficiently challenged about her “court-proven lies.” They said, “During [Deputy Attorney General] Todd Blanche’s bizarre interview, she is never challenged about her court-proven lies, providing her a platform to rewrite history.” The family further condemned the decision to transfer Maxwell to a minimum-security facility, calling it a “disturbing message that child sex trafficking is acceptable and will be rewarded.”
Legal and political figures have weighed in as well. Senator Adam Schiff, speaking on NBC News’ Meet the Press, suggested that Maxwell’s motivation was clear: “She wants a pardon. She says exactly what her lawyers tell her is going to be necessary to get a pardon.” Schiff criticized the DOJ for conducting the interview without the presence of a prosecutor familiar with the facts.
Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, responded by defending his client’s consistency. “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,” Markus said in a statement.
The DOJ’s release of the transcripts comes against a backdrop of mounting political pressure and public scrutiny. The Trump administration has faced backlash for not releasing all files related to the Epstein case, despite repeated promises. In response to a congressional subpoena, the DOJ recently released approximately 33,000 documents to the House Oversight Committee, though, as NBC News reported, Democrats noted that most of the records had already been made public. Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer earlier this month rejected a Trump administration request to unseal grand jury materials from the Epstein case, citing insufficient grounds and public interest.
Maxwell’s legal team has indicated that they have not formally requested a pardon from President Donald Trump, though they “would welcome any relief.” Trump himself, when asked about the possibility of a pardon, said, “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.” In the absence of executive clemency, Maxwell is seeking relief from the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to decide whether to review her conviction at a private conference in September.
Flight logs submitted as court exhibits show that in early March 2001, Epstein, Maxwell, and Giuffre traveled together on Epstein’s Gulfstream jet, making stops in Palm Beach, Paris, Spain, Morocco, and London. Maxwell maintained that the trip was planned around her mother’s birthday celebration in England, but Giuffre’s family remains suspicious of the circumstances and critical of the government’s engagement with Maxwell.
As the fallout from the interview and transcript release continues, the story of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, and their powerful associates remains a lightning rod for public outrage, legal wrangling, and questions about accountability at the highest levels. The survivors and their families, meanwhile, continue to demand justice — and warn against any attempt to rewrite the painful history they helped bring to light.
