Attorney General Pam Bondi has sought an urgent meeting with convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell in another bid to quell the political firestorm over the Epstein files.
Two weeks after issuing a memo declaring there was no further incriminating evidence regarding the crimes or death of Jeffrey Epstein, Bondi’s department has reached out to Maxwell, who was his girlfriend and accomplice, hoping she may spill his secrets.
“President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,” deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.”
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy for helping Epstein recruit and abuse underage girls. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The 63-year-old had been urging the Supreme Court to review her case, but the Department of Justice had asked the court to turn away her appeal just over a week ago.
Now, it is seeking a meeting with her as the Trump administration continues to face a MAGA backlash over its handling of the case.
“Call me crazy... but wouldn’t you have talked to Ghislaine BEFORE writing a memo that there was no Epstein list and that the investigation was closed?” Matt Van Swol, a former nuclear scientist for the US Department of Energy, wrote on X.
Trump loyalist Laura Loomer, who previously called for Bondi to be sacked over the issue, agreed.
“Why wasn’t this “interview” with Ghislaine Maxwell done on day 1?" she asked.
MAGA outrage over the Epstein files began earlier this month, after Bondi’s department issued a July 6 memo declaring there was no evidence to suggest that the disgraced financier was murdered or that he had a “client list”, something that many Trump supporters have long believed.
Trump, who promised to be transparent about the case, has since tried to brand the issue as a Democratic hoax, and has become so frustrated by the issue that he accused “past” supporters of buying into “bullshit”.
But in his statement, Blanche said the department stood by its July memo.
“The joint statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 remains as accurate today as it was when it was written,” he said.
“Namely, that in the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
If Maxwell agrees to meet with the department, her evidence could shed light on a Wall Street Journal article, published last week, with details of a letter Trump allegedly wrote Epstein 20 years ago.
The letter, which Trump denies was his, was organized by Maxwell and given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, before he was convicted in Florida for sex with an underage girl.
According to the Wall Street Journal, it contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman.
“We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” Trump is alleged to have written on the gift. “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? … Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump ,however, insists the “fake story” has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, for publishing it.
He also asked Bondi to “produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.”
“This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead,” Blanche said.
