(NewsNation) — The Justice Department’s interview with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell has ended after two days, and her attorney told NewsNation they were “very grateful” for the opportunity.
“This was a thorough, comprehensive interview by the deputy attorney general,” David Oscar Markus told NewsNation. “No person and no topic were off-limits. We are very grateful. The truth will come out.”
Maxwell’s case is receiving renewed scrutiny as public pressure mounts for the Trump administration to release more of the government’s files on Epstein.
Ghislaine Maxwell meets with DOJ
Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in connection with Epstein in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. She is currently appealing her conviction to the Supreme Court. Epstein died in jail awaiting trial on related charges in 2019.
Markus was asked Thursday about the possibility of a reduced sentence or a pardon. He said she’s just answering questions for now.
“[Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche] took a full day and asked a lot of questions,” Markus said. “Miss Maxwell answered every single question. She never stopped. She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability,” Markus told reporters outside a federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, Thursday afternoon.
“Today, I met with Ghislaine Maxwell, and I will continue my interview of her tomorrow. The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” Blanche said in a Thursday post on X.
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Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell attend the 2005 Wall Street Concert Series on March 15, 2005, in New York City. (Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) -
Tenerife, Mort du magnat et homme politique britannique Robert Maxwell. Ici, sa fille Ghislaine Maxwell sur le yacht de son père “Le Lady Ghislaine”. Elle sera, au début des années 2000, la compagne de l’homme d’affaires Jeffrey Epstein (Photo by Mathieu Polak/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images) -
FILE – Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, during a news conference in New York, on July 2, 2020. Maxwell faces the likelihood of years in prison when she is sentenced for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The sentencing hearing, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in New York will be the culmination of a prosecution that detailed how Epstein and Maxwell flaunted their riches and associations with prominent people to groom vulnerable girls and then exploit them. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) -
From left, American real estate developer Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, the United States House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Maxwell.
The interview with Maxwell in Florida comes as the Trump administration is facing increasing pressure to release more information from the Epstein files after the Justice Department earlier this month released a memo concluding Epstein died by suicide and did not keep a client list. Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously said such files were on her desk.
The memo led to massive outrage from within the Republican Party. While the White House has tried to move on and distract from it, and Republican leaders have tried to contain furor among GOP lawmakers, calls for the release of more Epstein-related materials have only grown.
Trump says he hasn’t thought about pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
On Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters he wasn’t considering granting Maxwell clemency.
“It’s something I haven’t thought about it. I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about,” Trump told reporters when asked about a pardon or clemency for Maxwell.
“I certainly can’t talk about pardons,” he later added, while leaving the White House for a trip to Scotland.
When questioned on the Maxwell-Blance meeting, Trump told reporters they should be focused on other Epstein associates and other topics, including the release of documents related to former President Barack Obama and the investigation into Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 election.
“I don’t know about the meeting. I know it’s taking place, and he’s a fantastic man. He’s a great attorney,” Trump said of Blanche.
Trump, Epstein and Maxwell used to socialize but had a falling out. In the run-up to her 2021 trial, Trump told reporters he wished Maxwell well, but in recent weeks has sought to change the subject if asked about her or Epstein.
Trump later suggested he has a list of people who were associated with Epstein, other than him, that he could give to the media.
The president said twice that he didn’t want to talk about a pardon for Maxwell. And, he insisted that he never went to Epstein’s private island. He then continued to name others he thinks were associated with Epstein.
NewsNation’s Ashley Soriano and partner The Hill contributed to this report.
