The U.S. Department of Justice will interview Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted former associate of Jeffrey Epstein serving a 20-year sentence, at a Florida federal prison today according to CNN sources. This precedes her scheduled August 11 deposition before the House Oversight Committee.
In a bipartisan move, a House oversight subcommittee has authorized subpoenas for Justice Department files on Epstein, with three Republicans joining Democrats. The Washington Post reports this follows the committee’s earlier subpoena for Maxwell, convicted in 2021 for sex trafficking and related crimes.
Despite White House efforts to downplay Donald Trump’s connections to Epstein, the matter continues escalating and causing rifts within the Republican Party and MAGA movement. The Wall Street Journal revealed Trump was warned in May by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi that his name appeared “repeatedly” in Epstein documents. Bondi reportedly opposed releasing further material despite Trump’s campaign pledge for full disclosure. During a White House meeting, Bondi and her deputy also informed Trump approximately 100 high-profile individuals were named in the files.
White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed the Journal’s report as “fake news,” while sources emphasized appearing in the files doesn’t imply criminality and all named had documented Epstein ties. Meanwhile, the House accelerated proceedings by summoning Maxwell, whom some Republicans consider Epstein’s sole confidant. Attorney Alan Dershowitz—who represented both Epstein and Trump—called Maxwell the “Rosetta Stone” of the case, claiming she’d testify if granted immunity.
In a separate development, a Florida federal judge rejected the administration’s request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein probe. This follows last week’s White House attempt to declassify documents and transfer the case to New York amid criticism over its handling of the scandal.