Ghislaine Maxwell's Denials Come Thick And Fast in Unsealed Deposition
Ghislaine Maxwell will go on trial next year after pleading not guilty to charges related to her alleged involvement with the sex trafficking of young girls for Jeffrey Epstein. And today, the transcript of a deposition she gave in 2016 as part of a civil lawsuit has attracted much attention after a judge ruled it be unsealed.
The 418-page document, which Maxwell had fought to keep out of the public domain, details her responses when quizzed extensively about Epstein and the activities at his properties during the time she knew him. However, several names in the document have been redacted, both those of the victims and others. Miami Herald journalist, Julie K. Brown, who has investigated Epstein for years, posted on social media following the document’s publication: “The documents are heavily redacted. Names blacked out include Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew...Court also redacted the names of other men who may have been present at Jeffrey’s homes or on his plane. Unclear on what basis these names were redacted.”
BREAKING: In a 400-plus page deposition taken in 2016, accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell repeatedly denies knowing any underage girls were even present with Jeffrey Epstein. The documents are heavily redacted. Names blacked out include Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew.
— julie k. brown (@jkbjournalist) October 22, 2020
In the deposition, which was given as part of a now-settled defamation case against Maxwell by Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts (now Guiffre), Maxwell's denials come thick and fast when questioned about her knowledge of any inappropriate activity involving Epstein. She denied ever witnessing any inappropriate underage activities involving the late financier. She repeatedly claimed that Virginia was a liar and said at one point: “I have never instructed Virginia to have sex with anybody ever.” Maxwell also repeatedly purported to have “no idea” when asked about Epstein’s sexual activities with other females.
Maxwell claimed that she did not remember first meeting Virginia, who alleges that she was recruited, kept as a “sex slave” by Epstein, and made to have sex with other men including Prince Andrew, something the Prince has denied many times.
When asked when she first met Virginia, Maxwell replied: “I don’t have a recollection of the first meeting.” She was pressed on whether she recalled meeting her at Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago, where Virginia says she was recruited. Maxwell replied: “Like I said, I don’t have a recollection of meeting Ms Roberts.” Describing Virginia as "a masseuse" and saying she "did not invite" her to meet Epstein, Maxwell answered "no" when asked if she had ever given a massage with Virginia and Epstein in the room.
Later in the interview, Maxwell was presented with a document including an email that she wrote in 2011. The interviewer said: “It states, After some thought, I recall that I first met Ms. Roberts when she was working at a premier resort claiming to be 18 years old and a professional masseuse.”
Maxwell was asked: “So does that correct your testimony that you did meet Ms. Roberts at Mar-a-Lago?” She replied: “So by 2011, Ms. Roberts had already perpetrated so many lies and stories it’s hard for me to accurately tell you today what I remember back then. As I sit here today, the testimony I give you today, I do not recollect it.”
Maxwell was also quizzed about the now infamous photograph showing Virginia with Prince Andrew in Maxwell's London home. In his disastrous BBC interview last year the Prince questioned the authenticity of the picture. Maxwell said: "I have no idea what [sic] this picture was taken. I know what she purports it to be but I'm not going to say that I do." When asked: "Do the surroundings look like your London town home?" Maxwell replied: "They are familiar." She was then asked: "Did you observe [name redacted] go into a room with Virginia alone in your town home?" to which she replied: "I cannot recall. As I have said, no."
Maxwell was arrested in July this year and remains in custody. Her trial, in which she will face six charges relating to trafficking minors for sex as well as perjury, is scheduled for July 2021.
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