The Justice Department, under Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, is weighing whether to release the transcript of a closed-door interview with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, according to CNN and Fox News.
Blanche would reportedly release the transcript at the direction of President Donald Trump, who has ordered the disclosure of “all credible evidence” in the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Why It Matters
The two-day interview, conducted last week in Tallahassee, reportedly focused on roughly 100 individuals connected to Epstein, with Maxwell’s attorney saying she answered “every single question” under limited immunity.
Maxwell, the 62-year-old British socialite convicted of trafficking underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein, was moved to Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum-security facility in Texas, earlier this week.
Associated Press
What To Know
The push to make the transcript public comes amid growing pressure from Trump allies and House Republicans to unseal related grand jury materials, though victim advocates warn about privacy concerns and question Blanche’s independence because of his prior role as Trump’s personal attorney.
While Trump has not ruled out a pardon for Maxwell, saying he “hasn’t thought about it,” critics argue that selectively releasing materials risks appearing as symbolic transparency rather than true accountability.
Some officials reportedly support the release to reassert control over the optics of the Epstein investigation, which has persisted as a political liability since the financier’s death in federal custody in 2019.
“A final decision has not been made,” one official said to CNN, adding that the transcript would likely be heavily redacted to protect the identities of victims.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung downplayed the development, telling CNN, “This is nothing more than CNN trying desperately to create news out of old news. [Trump] already addressed this issue in an interview with Newsmax, a real news outlet that routinely gets better ratings than CNN.”
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Fox News corroborated CNN’s reporting that tapes and transcripts of the interviews between Blanche and Maxwell exist. Fox also reported that discussions are underway today about whether—and when—to release them.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has subpoenaed several former top officials for depositions as part of a renewed probe into Epstein’s network. Those subpoenaed include former President Bill Clinton and multiple former U.S. attorneys general, including Merrick Garland, William Barr, and Loretta Lynch. Maxwell herself is scheduled to appear for a deposition on August 11.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said on Monday, when asked about a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell: “Well, I’m allowed to give her a pardon but nobody’s approached me with it, nobody’s asked me about it. It’s in the news about that—that aspect of it, but right now it would be inappropriate to talk about it.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, on X: “It’s bad enough that Deputy AG Todd Blanche used to be Trump’s own lawyer. Now he’s skirting DOJ protocols to interview Ghislaine Maxwell in secret? Everything about this reeks—and it brings zero transparency to the Epstein case. Release all the files and transcripts now!”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on X, ahead of his interview with Maxwell: “If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.”
What Happens Next
A Supreme Court decision on Maxwell’s appeal is expected in late September.
Update 8/5/25, 12 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
