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Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche intends to meet with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in the coming days, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Tuesday morning, in what marks the first known outreach from a Department of Justice official to the former Jeffrey Epstein associate since her 2021 conviction.
“We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,” Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, said in a statement confirming the meeting. “Ghislaine will always testify truthfully.”
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a Florida federal prison after being convicted of grooming and trafficking underage girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse over a span of years. Her legal team continues to maintain that she did not receive a fair trial and has sought direct engagement with the Trump administration.
The planned meeting comes as the Department of Justice faces mounting criticism from Trump supporters and far-right figures for its decision earlier this month to withhold further documents related to the Epstein case. On July 6, the DOJ and FBI issued a joint statement concluding that a “systematic review” had uncovered “no incriminating client list” and no prosecutable evidence against uncharged third parties.
The backlash was swift. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) accused Trump and his Justice Department of failing to follow through on promises of transparency. “Dangling bits of red meat no longer satisfies,” Greene posted. “They want the whole steak dinner and will accept nothing else.”
Bondi and Blanche, both of whom were appointed by President Trump, defended the July 6 conclusion, including the official ruling that Epstein died by suicide in federal custody in 2019.
Still, in a statement posted to X by Bondi on Tuesday, Blanche struck a different tone: “Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?”
Legal experts say the credibility of Maxwell’s potential claims could be limited, given her central role in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. Nevertheless, the move represents a striking reversal from the Justice Department’s previous stance — and signals internal tension over how aggressively to pursue new leads.
Judge Paul Engelmayer, who oversaw Maxwell’s criminal case, said in a court filing Tuesday that the DOJ’s justification for withholding grand jury transcripts had not “adequately” addressed federal standards for such disclosures. He ordered the government to file a full legal memo by July 29.
Some within the administration have blamed earlier Justice Department failures for the lingering outrage. In particular, Blanche criticized the department’s conduct during the Bush, Obama, and even Trump’s first administration.
“Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet,” Blanche said.
The Epstein saga spans decades and multiple presidential administrations. In 2008, Epstein avoided federal charges in a secret plea deal negotiated by then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, allowing him to serve just over a year in county jail while enjoying daily work release privileges. Epstein was indicted on new federal sex trafficking charges in 2019 and died a month later in custody. His death continues to fuel conspiracy theories.
Maxwell was arrested in 2020 and convicted in 2021, but her trial did not identify or implicate additional men in abuse. Despite repeated calls to release names or proof of a “client list,” the government has maintained that no such evidence exists.
In February, Bondi claimed during a Fox News interview that a list was “sitting on my desk right now.” Yet none has been released. Trump has alternated between encouraging the base to move on and doubling down on calls for further investigation.
With rising pressure from within the Republican Party and social media influencers, Trump’s Justice Department may now be trying to signal action — but whether the move satisfies critics or further fuels distrust remains to be seen.
