The family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, sharply criticized the Justice Department’s decision to release transcripts of Ghislaine Maxwell’s recent interview with federal prosecutors.
“The content of these transcripts is in direct contradiction with felon Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction for child sex trafficking,” Giuffre’s family said in a statement. “This travesty of justice entirely invalidates the experiences of the many brave survivors who put their safety, security, and lives on the line to ensure her conviction, including our sister.”
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence, sat for two days of questioning in July with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, part of what the Trump administration described as an effort to further examine Epstein’s crimes. On Friday, the Justice Department released audio and transcripts of that session. In the interview, Maxwell disputed several allegations against her. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, had accused Andrew of sexually abusing her as a minor. He denied the claim but reached a settlement with her in 2022.
Maxwell told Blanche that Giuffre’s case “doesn’t hold water,” and suggested that the well-known photograph of Giuffre with Andrew may have been fabricated. Giuffre’s family responded that Blanche never meaningfully challenged Maxwell’s statements. “She is never challenged about her court-proven lies, providing her a platform to rewrite history,” their statement read.
The interview touched on other figures in Epstein’s orbit. Maxwell denied the existence of a “client list” of powerful men, insisted she had never seen Donald Trump behave inappropriately, and claimed that she never recruited anyone for Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. She also repeated her view that Epstein did not die by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
Reaction to the release was swift. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Maxwell’s remarks were self-serving. “She wants a pardon. She says exactly what her lawyers tell her is going to be necessary to get a pardon,” Schiff told NBC’s Meet the Press. Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, dismissed that view as “flat-out wrong,” arguing that her testimony has been consistent and backed by documents.
For Giuffre’s family, the controversy reinforces their belief that the Justice Department has extended undue consideration to Maxwell. They had already opposed the government’s decision to transfer her to a minimum-security women’s prison in Texas earlier this year, calling it a “country club” facility. “By moving convicted felon Maxwell to a minimum-security, country club prison, the DOJ sends a disturbing message that child sex trafficking is acceptable and will be rewarded,” they said in a separate statement.
The transcripts were released as the Justice Department complied in part with a congressional subpoena for all records tied to the Epstein investigation, turning over 33,000 documents. But critics noted most of the material was already public.
Maxwell is appealing her conviction to the Supreme Court, which will consider in September whether to review her case. Meanwhile, former President Trump has not ruled out the possibility of a pardon if he returns to office. For survivors and their families, that prospect, combined with the new transcripts, makes accountability feel as tenuous as ever.
