The White House releases the interrogation of Epstein’s former accomplice. References to Trump, Clinton and Kennedy emerge, along with suspicions about the financier’s death.
The US Department of Justice has released the long-awaited transcripts and full audio recordings of the interrogation between Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former partner and accomplice, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s former lawyer and now number two at the Department of Justice. This is the first official disclosure by the White House on the Epstein case, which has been at the centre of a debate that has been rocking the United States for years.
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell
Maxwell, a 63-year-old British heiress, is serving a 20-year sentence for helping Epstein recruit and abuse young girls. Transferred on 1 August from the federal prison in Tallahassee to the low-security prison in Bryan, Texas, her move raised suspicions as it came after she offered to testify before Congress on condition of receiving immunity, which was only partially granted.
The interrogation and the transparency operation
The two-day interview with Blanche last July was made public under pressure from Congress and the MAGA base, who accused Trump of wanting to cover up the so-called “Epstein files”. The White House assured that everything had been handed over, except for the names of the victims. Blanche granted Maxwell limited immunity, but stressed that he could not guarantee her any judicial benefits.
Trump and Mar-a-Lago
Maxwell ruled out any inappropriate behaviour on the part of Donald Trump: “I never saw him in any inappropriate context. He always behaved like a gentleman”. She admitted that, although she did not remember for sure, it was possible that Epstein had received massages from staff at the Mar-a-Lago spa, but denied ever recruiting girls for him. She also described Trump as “an extraordinarily successful man”, pointing out that their relationship was one of social acquaintance and not close friendship.
Epstein and the mystery of his suicide
Maxwell expressed clear doubts about Epstein’s death in 2019, officially classified as suicide: ‘I don’t believe he committed suicide. In prison, they either kill you or pay someone to do it, even for 25 dollars’ worth of canteen expenses.” However, she did not indicate who might be responsible.
Clinton, Kennedy and other names
Among the names that emerged were Bill Gates, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker and current Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Maxwell said she had never seen behave inappropriately. She ruled out visits by Bill Clinton to Epstein’s private island in the Virgin Islands: ‘I don’t think he was ever there.’ She speculated that the Clintons donated funds to their foundation, but denied any direct links.
No black book of clients
Maxwell rejected the idea of the existence of a ‘black book’ with names of clients and possible blackmail: “There is no list. I know nothing about it’. An internal review by the Department of Justice confirmed the absence of any evidence to that effect.
The publication of the transcripts reignites the debate about the network of relationships that revolved around Epstein, with new questions about both his death and the political and social protections that allegedly allowed him to go unpunished for years.
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