Ghislaine Maxwell lost an appeal this week, allowing previously sealed documents from a 2016 deposition to be made public. The deposition was part of a defamation case brought in 2015 by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The case was settled in 2017, but the 400 pages reveal a great deal about Ghislaine Maxwell’s relationship with Jeffery Epstein and the role she played in his life and crimes.
What Was Maxwell’s Role?
Throughout the deposition, Maxwell unsurprisingly consistently denies any knowledge or involvement with underage girls. She goes over ad nauseam what her role was in Epstein’s household. There were pages of questions dealing with whether she was in charge of hiring, interviewing, or whether she simply met people and brought them to Epstein’s house and he did the rest. Maxwell repeatedly asserts that she did not hire anyone. It is a clear point of contention between herself and the opposing counsel.
Maxwell responds to plenty of questions with “I do not recall” and “I have no idea”. She is often reluctant to answer, asking for questions to be rephrased and repeated often throughout the deposition.
In 2016, the year this deposition took place, Jeffrey Epstein was still alive. It can be clearly seen throughout these documents that Maxwell is fiercely defending Epstein and protecting him whenever possible.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre
There are also multiple instances in which Maxwell lashes out at Giuffre, the young woman who accuses Epstein and Maxwell of sex trafficking her as a teenager. She calls Giuffre a liar, repeatedly and forcefully.
“Virginia lied 100 percent about absolutely everything that took place in that first meeting.” said Maxwell, “She has lied repeatedly, often and is just an awful fantasist.”
Big Names and Big Places
The deposition was not released in its entirety. There are several pages of fully redacted content, and the documents are fairly heavily redacted throughout. Knowing what we know now about the Epstein case, many of the redacted names could feasibly refer to Prince Andrew. Many of the victim’s names were also blacked out for their privacy.
In the early pages of the deposition, there is also a brief mention of Epstein and Maxwell’s connection with President Trump via Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s famous Florida resort is allegedly the place where Maxwell first encountered Giuffre, according to Giuffre’s lawyers. Maxwell admitted she visited Mar-a-Lago but was not a member there. She claims she cannot remember if that’s where she met Giuffre.
In July of this year, Maxwell was arrested and charged with federal sex crimes, in addition to two charges of perjury in connection with the now released deposition. She pleaded not guilty and will go to trial in July 2021.
