Jamie Raskin Accuses Trump DOJ of ‘Attempting to Tamper With a Crucial Witness’ by Moving Ghislaine Maxwell
(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
The top House Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), sent a scathing letter to the Trump Justice Department this week, demanding answers as to why Jeffrey Epstein associate and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a minimum-security prison rife with perks.
Raskin addressed his letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the head of the federal bureau of prisons, and began by noting Maxwell was “inexplicably” transferred “from a federal correctional institution to a far preferable and relatively luxurious minimum-security prison camp in Texas, just three years into her 20-year sentence for sexually exploiting and abusing minor girls as young as 14.”
Maxwell’s transfer followed her meeting with Bondi’s deputy, Todd Blanche, who also used to be President Donald Trump’s personal attorney – a potential conflict of interest that set off many alarm bells around the country. The Trump administration has been working overtime to try and move on from the fallout surrounding a joint DOJ-FBI memo from early July that concluded the various conspiracy theories – some of which Trump promoted in the past – were all false, effectively closing the case.
Raskin went on to accuse the Trump administration of possible witness tampering with Maxwell:
The transfer follows Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s private interviews of Ms. Maxwell arranged after a firestorm of media attention about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) refusal to release the full Epstein files as originally demanded by President Donald Trump. These actions raise substantial concerns that the Administration may now be attempting to tamper with a crucial witness, conceal President Trump’s relationship with convicted sex offenders, and coax Ms. Maxwell into providing false or misleading testimony in order to protect the President.
Raskin also argued that he believes Maxwell’s transfer violates “both DOJ and Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policies.” He went on to officially request documentation surrounding Maxwell’s move.
“We write to demand DOJ and BOP provide all documents and information related to Deputy Attorney General Blanche’s interview of Ms. Maxwell and the sudden decision to transfer her to a facility with lower security and greater freedom for inmates, which was, prior to this extraordinary transfer, categorically off limits to sex offenders. Recently, the Trump Administration has engaged in a series of actions that create the strong appearance that it is attempting to cover up the full extent of the relationship between President Trump and Mr. Epstein,” Raskin charged.
The letter went on to detail Maxwell’s “harrowing” crimes and the many victims’ statements regarding her time with Epstein. Raskin argued that Maxwell’s move appears to be a clear signal to Maxwell to cooperate with the Trump administration:
Ms. Maxwell’s transfer to a minimum-security prison camp constitutes an important benefit for her, even before considering other actions the White House has publicly hinted at in the press, such as a pardon or clemency. There can be no question that your actions have served to send a clear message to Ms. Maxwell in the lead up to any testimony before Congress and the American public: this Administration can punish or reward her as it sees fit for its own purposes.
The letter, which is also signed by all the Democrats on the committee, gives the DOJ and BOP until August 26th to hand over the requested documents.
Read the full letter here.
