Ghislaine Maxwell sat for roughly nine hours of questioning with the Justice Department over two days this week after being granted limited immunity, according to those familiar with the matter.
Sources told ABC News that Maxwell initiated the contact and meetings with the Trump DOJ. The immunity agreement allowed Maxwell to respond to questions from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche without the risk that her statements could be used against her later, the sources told the outlet.
The type of arrangement—known as proffer immunity—is often extended to individuals prosecutors are considering as potential cooperators in ongoing criminal investigations. Maxwell has already been tried, convicted, and sentenced for sex trafficking underage girls.
A second meeting with Maxwell on Friday lasted around three hours, the report stated.
Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, told ABC News following that second meeting, “There have been no asks and no promises.”
Markus said Maxwell was questioned about “maybe 100 different people” during her interview with the deputy attorney general and that she answered every single question. He added: “She didn’t hold anything back.”
He declined to provide specifics about whom Maxwell was questioned on or whether she offered information about others who may have allegedly committed crimes against victims, as Blanche had indicated he was pursuing.
“We haven’t asked for anything. This is not a situation where we are asking for anything in return for testimony or anything like that,” Markus added on Friday. “Of course, everybody knows Ms. Maxwell would welcome any relief.”
Blanche did not speak to reporters upon arriving at the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida. However, he stated on social media that he would disclose what he learned from Maxwell “at the appropriate time.”
Maxwell is appealing her 20-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking and related crimes linked to Epstein, the deceased financier and convicted sex offender.
“We don’t want to get into the substance of the questions,” Markus said previously after Thursday’s meeting. “There were a lot of questions, and we went all day, and she answered every one of them. She never said ‘I’m not going to answer,’ never declined.”
It is highly unusual for a convicted sex trafficker to meet with such a senior Justice Department official—particularly one who previously served as the president’s lead criminal defense attorney, ABC News noted.
Trump was asked on Friday about the meetings and whether a pardon was on the table for Maxwell.
“I can’t talk about that now because, you know, it’s a very sensitive interview going on,” Trump responded. He also called Blanche a “great attorney” and added: “I don’t know exactly what’s happening. But I certainly can’t talk about pardons.”
Trump was also asked if he could trust what Maxwell was saying.
“Well, he’s a professional lawyer. He’s been through things like this before,” Trump said in reference to Blanche.
Markus was also asked if his client was offered anything in exchange for her testimony. “No,” Markus answered. “She wants to tell the truth.”
Markus said Maxwell’s legal team has not yet approached President Trump about a pardon but indicated that it’s a possibility down the line.
“We haven’t spoken to the president or anyone about a pardon just yet. And listen, the president this morning said he had the power to do so we hope he exercises that power in the right and just way,” he told ABC News.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Attorney General Pam Bondi informed President Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files, along with those of other high-profile individuals.
Trump has denied that account, and being named in the files does not necessarily imply any wrongdoing, reports have noted.
