Washington DC [US], August 24 : Ghislaine Maxwell, the woman thought to have the most direct knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's decades-long sex-trafficking operation claims that there was no client list, no blackmail scheme and -- to her knowledge -- no high-profile Epstein associates who committed illicit acts in connection with the notorious sex offender's crimes, ABC News reported.
That's according to an account provided by Epstein's convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell to a top official of the US Department of Justice during a highly unusual two-day interview session last month, according to a transcript and audio of the conversation released on Friday (local time) by the DOJ, as per ABC News.
Maxwell told Blanche that during her time with Epstein -- which ranged from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s -- she never witnessed nor heard of any inappropriate or criminal activity by US President Donald Trump, former US President Bill Clinton, nor any of the well-known men who associated with Epstein, according to the transcript.
Trump, Maxwell said, was cordial and a "gentleman in all respects" in all of her interactions with him. She described Clinton as a "truly extraordinary" man and a "fantastic ex-president," according to the transcript of the meetings, which took place at the US Attorney's Office in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 63-year-old Maxwell, who has been incarcerated since her arrest in 2020, also claimed she had been misidentified by a key witness at her criminal trial and insisted she was not involved in the sexual exploitation of minors.
"I did introduce him to women. I did, but not underage women," she said. "And I did look for masseuses, I did. I went to spas, and if I met somebody who said she was a masseuse, I did not check their credentials."
"There is no list," Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. "I'm not aware of any blackmail. I never heard that. I never saw it, and I never imagined it," as per ABC News.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy and child sex trafficking. He died in custody a month later, while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging, as per ABC News.