Ghislaine Maxwell told US investigators that Donald Trump "was never inappropriate with anybody" during his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The British socialite made the statement during July interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, according to transcripts released on Friday.
The Department of Justice published hundreds of pages of interview documents following fierce backlash over an earlier refusal to disclose records from the sex-trafficking case. Maxwell was granted limited immunity for the interviews, allowing her to speak freely without fear of prosecution.
Maxwell's defense of Trump
Maxwell repeatedly denied witnessing any sexually inappropriate behaviour involving the US President. She said: "I actually 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," Maxwell told investigators. She recalled often visiting Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, but hadn't seen him since the mid-2000s.
When asked if she ever heard Epstein or anyone else suggest Trump had done "anything inappropriate" with masseuses or others, Maxwell replied: "Absolutely never, in any context."
Financial ties and relationship breakdown
Maxwell received $250,000 annually from Epstein until 2009, according to Daily Mail reports, revealing long-term financial dependency. The 9/11 attacks marked the definitive end of their romantic relationship when Epstein refused to comfort her despite being five blocks away, Daily Mail sources indicate.
Maxwell also denied the existence of an Epstein "client list," stating: "There is no list that I am aware of." She sought to distance herself from Epstein's conduct throughout the interviews.
Prince Andrew claims and credibility questions
Maxwell claims Sarah Ferguson, not her, introduced Prince Andrew to Epstein, calling Ferguson a "frenemy" according to The Standard and Daily Mail. She dismissed as "rubbish" the late Virginia Giuffre's allegations about the Duke of York.
Legal experts and politicians question Maxwell's credibility, with Representative Garcia calling her a "known liar" seeking a pardon, the Independent reports. Maxwell was transferred to a minimum-security Texas prison shortly after the interviews to continue her 20-year sentence for luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein.
Sources used: "Express", "Daily Mail", "The Standard", "Guardian", "BBC", "Independent", "The i"
Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
