DOJ official plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell as House panel pursues subpoena

Washington — Todd Blanche, the second-highest ranking official at the Justice Department, said Tuesday that he plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell "in the coming days" about the case involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?" Blanche wrote on social media. He added that he contacted Maxwell's lawyers at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi. "I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law — and no lead is off-limits," Blanche wrote.

On Capitol Hill, a subcommittee of the House Oversight and Reform Committee approved a motion from GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee that directs the committee's chairman to subpoena Maxwell to appear for a deposition, a signal of lawmakers' interest in speaking to Epstein's former partner.

Blanche, who was President Trump's private defense attorney before joining the Justice Department, said that the department and the FBI continue to stand by a memo released earlier this month that concluded Epstein did not have a "client list" and confirmed that he died by suicide. The memo, which detailed the findings of a review of Epstein's case, also said there was no "credible evidence" that the disgraced financier blackmailed prominent people.

The Justice Department and FBI also said they would not release any additional information about Epstein's case, and noted that the review did not uncover evidence that would prompt an investigation into uncharged third parties.

"President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence," Blanche said in a second statement shared by Bondi. "If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say."

The deputy attorney general said the Justice Department in prior administrations had not asked about her willingness to meet with the government, and he anticipates "meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days."

David Oscar Markus, Maxwell's lawyer, said in a statement, "I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case."

Maxwell was an associate of Epstein's and convicted in 2021 for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse underage girls. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. Her lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to take up an appeal of her conviction.

Blanche's outreach to Maxwell's lawyers comes after the Justice Department asked a federal court in New York on Friday to unseal transcripts from grand jury proceedings involving Epstein. He was indicted in 2019 on one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Epstein sexually exploited and abused dozens of underage girls from 2002 through 2005, and worked with others who set up sexual encounters with victims at Epstein's residences in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida.

He died by suicide while in federal custody before his trial. Epstein had been arrested in Florida in 2006 and pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges in 2008.

In addition to asking the court to release the grand jury transcripts related to Epstein's indictment, the Justice Department also asked it to make public grand jury transcripts associated with Maxwell's case.

Whether the transcripts become public will be up to the judges overseeing the cases, though the records will likely be heavily redacted to shield information related to victims. If the Justice Department's requests are granted by the court, the material is unlikely to be available immediately, and it could be weeks or months before it is unsealed.

Federal rules typically require matters before a grand jury to be kept secret.

The president and his administration have been dealing with backlash from Mr. Trump's allies that arose after the Justice Department released the memo about Epstein.

Some top administration officials, such as Vice President JD Vance and FBI Director Kash Patel, suggested before Mr. Trump's reelection that Democrats were deliberately concealing information about Epstein and his purported list of clients. But now, with the Justice Department under Mr. Trump's control, some of his allies are skeptical of its claim that there is nothing left to disclose.

Mr. Trump has tried to downplay the focus on Epstein and lashed out at some of his supporters, calling them "weaklings" who have been fooled by Democrats. He referred to claims about Epstein as the "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax."

Epstein and Mr. Trump moved in the same social circles in New York and Florida from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. They were friends for years, until they had a falling out around 2004. Mr. Trump has previously acknowledged he crossed paths with Epstein in Palm Beach, but said in 2019 following Epstein's arrest that they haven't spoken in 15 years.

Last week, the president lashed out at a story in the Wall Street Journal that chronicled the pair's relationship, which the president has said ended before Epstein's first arrest in 2006. The Journal reported that Mr. Trump had signed a "bawdy" letter to Epstein in the early 2000s to mark his 50th birthday that said, in part, "may every day be another wonderful secret." CBS News has not independently seen or verified the letter.

Mr. Trump called the letter "fake" and filed a defamation lawsuit against the Journal's publisher, parent company News Corporation, its leader Rupert Murdoch and the reporters who wrote the Epstein story. Mr. Trump is seeking at least $20 billion in damages.

• Ghislaine Maxwell
• Jeffrey Epstein