DOJ Official to Meet Maxwell as Democrats Force GOP Votes on Epstein Files

A top Justice Department official is set to meet with Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in a Florida prison, even as House Democrats escalate pressure on Republicans by forcing repeated votes on the release of government files related to the disgraced financier.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche plans to meet Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence at the federal prison in Tallahassee. According to a post from Blanche on X, the social media platform, “If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.”

Maxwell’s lawyer told the BBC she was looking “forward to her meeting,” which could influence whether she testifies before Congress.

The meeting comes amid a political firestorm in Washington, where Democrats have united to make the Epstein files a divisive issue for the GOP. Across several House committees on Wednesday, Democrats introduced amendments to compel the release of the documents, grinding some legislative business to a halt and forcing the House to adjourn a day early for its summer recess. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., dubbed the break “the Epstein recess.”

The Democratic strategy saw some success. A motion by Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., in a House Oversight subcommittee to compel the Justice Department to release the files was approved with the help of three Republicans. “Numerous members of this committee and this subcommittee have called for answers and transparency,” Lee said. “So let’s do something about it.”

The pressure campaign highlights a rare moment where President Donald Trump appears out of step with some of his supporters, who have grown frustrated after he promised during his campaign to release files on the well-connected Epstein. The administration’s position has been complicated by a Wall Street Journal report that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump his name appears in DOJ documents related to the case. The White House has dismissed the story as “fake news,” and being named is not evidence of any criminal wrongdoing.

The partisan accusations have intensified. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., asked during a news conference, “Why haven’t Republicans released the Epstein files to the American people? It’s reasonable to conclude that Republicans are continuing to protect the lifestyles of the rich and shameless.”

The “Epstein files” were not released under former President Joe Biden, either.

“The Biden administration held the Epstein files for four years,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “Not a single one of these Democrats or anyone in Congress made any peep about that at all.” He added that Democrats “waited until President Trump was elected.”

Separately, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have subpoenaed Maxwell to testify remotely from prison on August 11. Speaker Johnson has warned that Maxwell cannot be trusted, but her attorney, David Oscar Markus, told the BBC the concerns were “unfounded,” stating that if she testifies, “she would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would.”