Relatives of Virginia Roberts Giuffre expressed outrage following the release of a Justice Department interview transcript in which Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, denied Giuffre’s longstanding accusations and rejected any involvement in sex trafficking.
Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually exploit minors, was interviewed last month by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in a two-day session.
In the transcript, released Friday, Maxwell pushed back against Giuffre’s claims, at times using blunt and profane language, and dismissed allegations that she pressured Giuffre into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew.
Virginia Giuffre, who has long alleged that she was recruited and groomed by Epstein and Maxwell, has consistently maintained that Maxwell was a central figure in the sex-trafficking network. Giuffre previously reached a settlement in a high-profile civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew, who has denied wrongdoing.
Family members of Giuffre criticized the interview, calling it “bizarre” and “an attempt to rewrite history.” They underscored the emotional toll of hearing Maxwell publicly deny claims that Giuffre had detailed in interviews and in her forthcoming memoir, Nobody’s Girl.
According to the book’s publisher, Giuffre requested the memoir be released in the event of her death, describing her experiences as “intimate, disturbing, and heartbreaking.”
During her interview, Maxwell denied ever recruiting Giuffre at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, claimed she never observed inappropriate behavior involving the former president, and rejected the widely speculated notion of an Epstein “client list.” Maxwell also denied knowledge of blackmail or coercive practices tied to Epstein’s operations.
Her attorney maintained that Maxwell did not avoid questions and provided full responses. She was recently transferred to a lower-security federal facility in Texas and, according to reports, has expressed interest in seeking a presidential pardon. Former President Trump has not commented on the possibility.
For Giuffre’s relatives, however, the Justice Department’s decision to conduct and release Maxwell’s interview represents a painful chapter in a case that continues to reverberate through legal and political circles.
