Justice Dept. finishes second day of Ghislaine Maxwell interview

President Donald Trump said Friday he was not considering granting clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell, a former associate of deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, as she met for a second consecutive day with a senior Justice Department official for an hours-long interview in Florida.

An attorney for Maxwell said she “answered every single question” posed by Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general. Blanche finished his interview with her early Friday afternoon, the lawyer said, adding that Maxwell did not seek or agree to any deal with the Trump administration.

“We haven’t asked for anything,” the attorney, David Oscar Markus, told reporters after the interview Friday. “There’s been no asks and no promises.”

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Trump was asked if he would grant Maxwell a pardon or commute her sentence. He said he had not considered it.

“It’s something I haven’t thought about. It’s really – it’s not recommended,” he said. “It’s something I’m allowed to do, but it’s something I have not thought of.”

Trump’s comments and Maxwell’s interview came as the administration has faced intense criticism over its handling of the Epstein matter, including from many of the president’s supporters and allies.

Epstein was indicted in 2019 on sex-trafficking charges and died by suicide in a federal jail that same year. His connections to many powerful and prominent figures – including Trump and former president Bill Clinton – helped fuel conspiracy theories about the circumstances of his death and whether others may have been complicit in his actions.

Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, was convicted of sex-trafficking charges in 2021 and then sentenced to 20 years in prison. She has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal of her conviction, though the Justice Department last week urged the justices to deny her request and leave the conviction in place.

This month, the Justice Department and FBI said in a memo that a “systematic review” failed to turn up other evidence warranting criminal investigation of third parties. The announcement set off a mounting political crisis for the Trump administration, drawing some sharp pushback from some of the president’s allies. He has sought to cast blame on Democrats while also criticizing his supporters for their focus on the issue.

Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Friday morning, was critical of the continuing focus on Epstein.

“People should really focus on how well the country is doing,” he said, later adding that he has “nothing to do with the guy.”

Facing an unrelenting backlash, Blanche announced this week that he would meet with Maxwell, who is being held in a low-security Tallahassee prison. He said the meeting was being held to discuss anyone else “who has committed crimes against victims.”

In an unusual move, Blanche – the Justice Department’s second-ranking official, tasked with managing its day-to-day operations – went to the Florida capital to conduct the interview, spending most of Thursday and the first half of Friday speaking with her.

Before joining the administration, Blanche was Trump’s personal lawyer during his fraud case in Manhattan.

Markus, her attorney, said Maxwell was asked about perhaps “100 different people,” although he did not elaborate on who they were.

“Ghislaine answered every single question asked for her over the last day and a half,” he told reporters. “She answered those questions honestly, truthfully to the best of her ability. She never invoked a privilege. Never refused to answer a question.

“We’re very proud of her and proud of how the process over the past day and a half.”

It was unclear whether Blanche or other federal officials would seek more information from her. Markus did not respond to a request for additional comment.

Markus acknowledged Trump’s comments about clemency and said, “We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way.”

Andrew J. Skerritt in Tallahassee contributed to this report.