Supporters of President Donald Trump are celebrating recent remarks made by Jeffrey Epstein’s former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, during interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
After the Department of Justice released interview transcripts on Friday, many Trump backers highlighted portions of Maxwell’s testimony where she insisted she never witnessed Trump engaging in any sexual misconduct.
Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein recruit underage girls, is seeking a presidential pardon.
Newsweek has contacted Maxwell’s attorney for comment via email sent outside of regular business hours.
Why It Matters
The release of the transcripts comes as President Trump continues to face renewed scrutiny over his past friendship with Epstein. Trump has repeatedly said that he distanced himself from Epstein long before Epstein was under investigation.
The controversy has remained a point of focus since July, when the Justice Department and FBI issued a memo stating that Epstein’s 2019 death was a suicide, rejecting conspiracy theories to the contrary. The memo also confirmed that the so-called “client list” Attorney General Pam Bondi had referenced did not exist, and that no further records from the case would be released. The decision fueled outrage among Trump supporters and conspiracy theorists who suspect a cover-up designed to shield Epstein’s powerful associates.
What To Know
According to the transcripts, Maxwell told Blanche:
“I never saw the President in any type of massage setting. I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”
When asked if she had ever heard Epstein or anyone else claim Trump behaved inappropriately, Maxwell answered: “Absolutely never, in any context.”
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene praised the testimony as vindication for Trump, writing on X that if there had been evidence against him, Democrats would have used it “long ago.”
Conservative activist Laura Loomer told Politico she hopes the release of the transcripts will put an end to “nasty, salacious lies and rumors” about Trump. She argued that Maxwell’s statements prove Trump “has always been an honorable person.”
Other MAGA influencers echoed the sentiment. Rogan O’Handley, also known as “D.C. Draino,” wrote on X: “If Trump was an Epstein client, the Deep State would’ve already leaked it.”
Democrats, however, dismissed Maxwell’s credibility, pointing to her criminal record and her desire for a pardon. Representative Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said Maxwell is “a convicted sex trafficker and known liar,” adding that her remarks “show she’s desperate for a pardon.”
What’s Next
The Justice Department has begun sending investigation records to the House Oversight Committee, which plans to make the documents public after redacting information about victims.
Meanwhile, Maxwell is appealing her conviction to the Supreme Court. The justices are expected to decide in late September whether they will hear the case.
