Justice Department official holds productive | Political News

The Justice Department’s No. 2 official met Thursday with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of financier and convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche helped prepare the assembly in Florida, which comes amid backlash from President Donald Trump’s helpers over a resolution by the Justice Department not to release extra information in the Epstein investigation.

Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus mentioned his shopper had a “productive day” with Blanche.

“Ms. 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 instructed reporters outdoors the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, where Maxwell met with Blanche.

In a social media post Tuesday, Blanche mentioned that Trump “has told us to release all credible evidence” and that if Maxwell has data about anybody who has dedicated crimes against victims, the FBI and the Justice Department “will hear what she has to say.”

Markus mentioned his crew was “thankful” that Blanche got here to query Maxwell, calling it a “good day.”

When requested if his shopper might probably obtain a pardon or see her prison time period lowered, Markus mentioned, “There are no promises yet. So she’s just answering questions for now.”

Blanche mentioned Thursday in a social media post that he met with Maxwell and the interview will proceed on Friday.

“The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” he mentioned in a post on X.

As public scrutiny over the release of the Epstein recordsdata intensifies, members of Congress are starting to reply despite House Speaker Mike Johnson seemingly sending the House home on recess to keep away from a full flooring vote on the Epstein recordsdata.

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight both voted to subpoena the Justice Department for information associated to the investigation into Epstein, as effectively as for Maxwell to testify before committee officers in August.

Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence and is housed at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She was sentenced three years in the past after being convicted of serving to Epstein inappropriately abuse underage ladies.

Officials have mentioned Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019, but his case has generated infinite conspiracy theories because of his and Maxwell’s hyperlinks to well-known people.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department mentioned it will not release more recordsdata associated to the Epstein investigation, despite guarantees that claimed in any other case from Attorney General Pam Bondi. The division also mentioned an Epstein shopper record doesn’t exist.

Both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal independently reported on Wednesday that Bondi instructed Trump in May that his identify was among high-profile people talked about in authorities recordsdata of Epstein, though the point out doesn’t suggest wrongdoing.

Law enforcement businesses haven’t accused Trump of any wrongdoing associated to Epstein and he has never been recognized as a goal of any related investigation.