Ghislaine Maxwell claims in DOJ interview that Epstein list doesn't exist

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, told US officials that a highly discussed "client list" does not exist, according to a released transcript of her interview.

In a July interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell said she was "not aware of any blackmail" and did not witness any inappropriate conduct by President Donald Trump or former President Bill Clinton.

She also discussed her and Epstein's relationship with Prince Andrew and called allegations of him having sexual relations with an underage girl in her home "mind-blowingly not conceivable".

Maxwell is seeking a pardon from Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials.

The interview took place as the Trump administration was under continued pressure to disclose more information about Epstein - with whom Trump was friendly before, according to the president, they fell out in 2004.

Shortly after the interview with Blanche - who previously worked as Trump's personal attorney - Maxwell was moved from her Florida prison to another low-security prison in Texas. It's unclear why the move was made.

The White House has been adamant that "no leniency is being given or discussed" in Maxwell's case.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a sex trafficking scheme, and has petitioned the US Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. Her attorney has said they would "welcome" a pardon from the president.

Pressure has also been growing from Trump's own Republican Party for more transparency around investigations of Epstein. But the president has accused his political opponents of using the case to distract from what he sees as his administration's victories.

In the transcripts - which amount to 300 pages, some heavily redacted - Maxwell said that while she believes Trump and Epstein were friendly "in social settings", she does not think they were close friends.

"I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting," she said, alluding to the massage services that some victims have said were used to enlist them in Epstein's crimes. "The President was never inappropriate with anybody."

"In the times I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects," she added.

She also said she doesn't recall Trump sending Epstein 50th birthday note in 2003, which drew recent headlines after the note was reported in the Wall Street Journal.

In the interview, Blanche also asked Maxwell about the alleged "client list" of high-profile personalities that has become the object of conspiracy theories in recent years.

Maxwell was asked about several other well-known figures, including Bill Gates, Elon Musk, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, actor Kevin Spacey, model Naomi Campbell and Prince Andrew - whom she denied she introduced to Epstein.

The list of his high-profile associates had become a focal point for conspiracy theorists who insisted that it was being kept hidden by the "deep state" to protect prominent participants in Epstein's crimes.

Several figures in Trump's administration - including FBI Director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino - repeated those claims in the past, although they have since backtracked.

"There is no list," Maxwell said.

She also spoke about Prince Andrew, whose relationship with Epstein led to a fallout where he stepped down from royal duties.

She called it a "flat untruth" that she'd been the one who introduced the Duke of York to Epstein.

"First of all, let's just state, I did not introduce him to Prince Andrew," she said.

She spoke at length of Epstein's relationship with both Price Andrew and the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson.

Maxwell also spoke about Prince Andrew's alleged relationship with a woman, whose name has been redacted in the transcript.

She says she finds the allegations against the Duke of York "mind-blowingly not conceivable", partly due to the size of her house where the events allegedly took place.

She is asked about a "famous photo" of Prince Andrew and the unnamed woman, with Maxwell in the background. She tells Blanche this photo is fake.

The prince was accused by Virginia Giuffre, who is not named in the transcript, of sexually abusing her when she was 17. He denied the allegations but reached a financial settlement with her in 2022, which contained no admission of liability or apology.

A widely circulated photo shows him alongside Giuffre with Maxwell in the background. Andrew has previously disputed its authenticity.

Giuffre took her own life earlier this year. Her family has condemned the justice department for interviewing Maxwell and said she is a "monster" whose testimony cannot be trusted.

According to Maxwell, she first befriended Epstein in 1991, and subsequently developed a sexual relationship with him.

Even after that relationship ended, she said she was still paid by Epstein - up to $250,000 (£184,782) a year by 2009 - and remained "friends with benefits". She added that their relationship was "almost non-existent" between 2010 and his death.

Maxwell was asked for her thoughts on the death of Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

"I do not believe he died by suicide, no," she remarked, although she added that she does "not have any reason" to believe that he was killed in a bid to silence him.

"It's ludicrous," she said of theories that he was murdered. "I also happen to think if that is what they wanted, they would've had plenty of opportunity when he wasn't in jail."

"And if they were worried about blackmail or anything from him, he would've been a very easy target," she added.

Ahead of the release of the transcript, pressure had been mounting on Trump - including from many of his own supporters and from voices within his own political party - for more transparency on what the investigations into Epstein uncovered.

Earlier this year, reports emerged that Trump had been told by US Attorney General Pam Bondi that his name appeared in the files.

He has never been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the case - and on the campaign trail last year said he would publicise more information about the case.

But he reversed his position several months into his administration, saying the case was closed, and criticising supporters and journalists who continued to press him on it.

The Associated Press had reported that earlier on Friday, the House Oversight Committee received the first round of files - which they had subpoenaed for - from the justice department.

"The Committee intends to make these records public after thorough review to ensure any victims' identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted," a spokesperson for Oversight Committee Chair James Comer was quoted as saying by US media.

"The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations."