The Trump administration officials are debating whether to release a transcript of a recent interview of the Department of Justice with Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein.
The interview, which reportedly took place last month, was conducted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche over the course of two days at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tallahassee, Florida.
Maxwell, who was convicted in 2022 for her role in Epstein’s trafficking operation involving underage girls, is currently serving a 20-year sentence but remains embroiled in multiple appeals, including a pending petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to the senior officials, the Justice Department has already begun the process of transcribing and digitizing the audio recording. However, before any transcript can be released, the DOJ must redact sensitive information, such as the names of victims and other confidential details that could compromise ongoing investigations or privacy rights.
“As of this week, no final decision has been made,” one official said, emphasizing that conversations between DOJ and White House legal teams are still underway. Another official added that the timeline for a potential release could span several weeks, depending on how high-level negotiations proceed within the administration.
One of the sticking points, according to the officials, is whether the release would reignite controversy around Epstein and Maxwell at a time when the administration believes the issue has mostly faded from public attention.
Despite that, several officials are reportedly frustrated with how the Epstein information has been handled so far and are pushing to take control of the narrative by proactively releasing select details from the interview.
“There’s concern about the optics, sure,” one senior official admitted. “But there’s also a strong push internally to address this head-on rather than keep reacting to media pressure.”
While no one in the administration is openly advocating to withhold the transcript permanently, discussions are said to be focused on timing, redactions, and how to roll out the release in a way that doesn’t invite a media frenzy or politicize the sensitive material.
At a press conference last Friday, President Trump told Newsmax—a network he regularly praises for its coverage—that he favors transparency when it comes to the Epstein files.
“We’d like to release everything,” Trump said, “but we don’t want people to get hurt that shouldn’t be hurt. And I would assume that’s why [Blanche] was there, to figure out what could and couldn’t be released.”
Trump said he hadn’t directly spoken to Blanche about the interview but called him “a very talented guy” and “a straight shooter.”
“I haven’t spoken about it, but I think he probably wanted to get a feeling of it,” Trump added.
While speculation continues over how much Maxwell revealed in the interview, a senior administration official said there is currently no plan to offer clemency to Maxwell. However, the official did not rule out the possibility entirely, noting that the president “has the authority to do it if he chooses.”
Adding to the mystery, Maxwell was quietly transferred last week from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas. Such a move is considered rare for sex offense convicts, who are typically held in higher-security facilities due to the nature of their crimes and risk assessments.
The rationale for the transfer remains unclear, though some legal observers suspect it may be connected to her cooperation with the DOJ or other ongoing proceedings.