Transcription
Phil, I said from the start, the fact that DOJ is even considering releasing this transcript, which they now have done, that in itself is a tell because if you were planning to ever make new criminal cases based on Golain Maxwell's information, releasing her transcript like they've just done is the last thing you would ever do. It would tip off your potential targets. It would tip off your investigative methods. And beyond that, Phil, as I just said, I'm actually surprised to see she doesn't even implicate anybody. I mean, even if a juror was to take everything in this transcript as true, there would be nobody else to charge or convict with anything.
Yet another reason why I'm just not buying this. You ever smell something so bad it makes you stop and go, "Wait, what the hell was that?" Well, that's exactly the reaction that everyone had when Gain Maxwell, convicted sex trafficker and Epstein's partner in crime, suddenly sat down with Donald Trump's deputy attorney general, and the interview sounded less like a grilling and more like a campaign ad. She kept praising Trump. She kept calling him president and she even brought him up unprompted. And we're supposed to believe that this was all a coincidence, right? Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe flat out said it. The whole thing doesn't pass the sniff test. I just think the entire thing, Aaron, is is so curious. It's so suspicious. Nothing about this is normal. Nothing about this is credible. But everything about this is convenient.
When you listen to the tapes, you get the sense that Gileain Maxwell went into that room knowing what information she had to deliver to get their attention and to get their approval and to get some sort of benefit that she is pursuing from the administration. And the administration in the form of Todd Blanch went into that room knowing what information he needed, which was what she was going to say about Donald Trump's involvement or non-involvement. And both sides delivered uh to each other's satisfaction. Uh Gain Maxwell unprompted spoke glowingly of the president, referred to him only in the most respectful term, which uh you know is is obviously the way that he prefers to be treated. Translation, she played defense for Trump and Trump's DOJ, played defense for her.
So here's what happened. Trump's deputy attorney general, Todd Blanch, yes, the same Todd Blanch, who used to be Trump's criminal defense attorney, sat down with Galain Maxwell, for a two-day meeting inside prison. And instead of seasoned FBI investigators or prosecutors, Blanch himself runs the interview. And almost immediately, Maxwell starts lavishing praise on Trump. "President Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me. And I just want to say that I find I I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now and I like him and I've always liked him."
Barry, you have a quote in your book from Galain Maxwell. She's talking about Jeffrey Epstein in this quote and you say uh just reading it, "My experience of Jeffrey is of a thoughtful, kind, generous, loving man with a keen sense of humor and a ready smile, a man of principles and values and a man of his word. If he made a promise, he would always follow through." Obviously, the context of that I I think Jennifer used the right word when she was talking about um Maxwell's comments. It's grotesque. You've pointed out, Barry, that there are similarities though in how Maxwell uh was treating Epstein and is now treating Trump. Yeah. In fact, that quote, Aaron, was from that testimonial that um um her lawyer put over to or actually Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer put over to uh the prosecutors. Um she does things at the time, you know, boldface lies to get what she wants. At that time, she wanted a release from Jeffrey Epstein. She didn't want to be named as one of his co-conspirators in the paperwork. And at the same time, she ended up getting a lot of money in exchange for that glowing testimonial. And it seems to me she's doing the same thing here with the president.
And here's the kicker. The interview wasn't handled like normal witness cooperation at all. No line agents in the room, no careful vetting. Instead, it was recorded via audio, not even on video, and then immediately released to the public. Suspicious. They very intentionally put this out to frame the narrative. And they had bar be deposed earlier this week where he supposedly cleared Trump even though he was never briefed by the SDNY US attorney at the time on the investigation and wasn't in a position to know what was going on with this investigation. So he can't clear anybody. So they said that then they followed it up with Maxwell. All of it is designed to say nothing to see here. You don't need to worry about what's mentioned about uh Trump in the file. And I don't expect that you are going to see that being produced to the house. I don't think they're going to give you the mentions of Trump because then it could become public. Christy Greenberg, a former federal prosecutor, nailed it. This wasn't about finding the truth. This was about reframing the narrative. So when House Oversight Chair James Comr doesn't enforce subpoenas for the actual Epstein files, Trump's DOJ hopes the public will just take Maxwell's glowing words at face value. Why? Because if the real records ever come out and Trump's name is all over them, which they are, well, too late. The damage has already been done. They poisoned the well.
In this transcript, Galain Maxwell provides a simply bizarre worldview wherein almost nobody did anything wrong. She doesn't even actually implicate Jeffrey Epstein. When she's asked about the crimes that Jeffrey Epstein's been convicted of or excuse me, charged with, he died before he could go to trial. She basically says, "I don't have any knowledge of this. I suspect maybe he did some of it, but nothing that I know about." Golain Maxwell herself maintains that she is absolutely 100% innocent and she also essentially implicates nobody else in any type of criminal conduct. Just think about that for a second. She's Epstein's partner in crime. She's been convicted in federal court. The victims were believed corroborated and justice, partial as it may be, was served. And yet, in this interview, she doesn't implicate Epstein. She doesn't implicate herself. And she sure as hell doesn't implicate Trump. Shocker. Instead, she paints a world where Epstein was just some misunderstood rich guy with bad friends and Trump is as pure as the driven snow.
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Fact that DOJ is even considering releasing this transcript, which they now have done, that in itself is a tell because if you were planning to ever make new criminal cases based on Gain Maxwell's information, releasing her transcript like they've just done, is the last thing you would ever do. It would tip off your potential targets. It would tip off your investigative methods. And beyond that, Phil, as I just said, I'm actually surprised to see she doesn't even implicate anybody. I mean, even if a juror was to take everything in this transcript as true, there would be nobody else to charge or convict with anything. Exactly. By releasing it, the DOJ basically announced, "We're not pursuing new charges. This is it." So, let's connect the dots. Gain Maxwell is serving 20 years. She's appealing. She's angling for a rule 35 cents reduction. And oh yeah, she is still eligible for a Trump pardon or commutation. Trump is drowning in Epstein questions. His DOJ blocks the release of real Epstein files, but fasttracks a staged interview where Maxwell clears him. And the man running that interview, not an FBI agent, not a career prosecutor, but Trump's personal lawyer turned deputy attorney general, Todd Blanch. This isn't cooperation. This is collusion.
So why does this matter? Well, because it's not just about Epstein. It's about how power protects itself. Every victim who testified at Maxwell's trial had to go through hell to be heard, to be believed, and to have their trauma validated. And now, Trump's DOJ put Maxwell front and center, unchallenged, promoting her lies while silencing the victim's truth. Maria Farmer said, "This is another slap in the face by the federal government, giving a voice to this child predator." Uh, Annie Farmer said, "I can't read it. I'm sick to my stomach." U Marika Chartuni said she's like listening to Ted Bundy talk about his victims literally. What's the point? People like that can't differentiate lies from the truth and this is who should be listened to and they're given no voice at all. But you've given it and I really appreciate that. Why is the government promoting propaganda from a convicted sex trafficker while burying documents that could show the truth? Again, for the Department of Justice is do you believe this garbage? You put this out there. You interviewed her. You didn't stop her at any point and say you didn't believe her. Do you believe this? Are you vouching for her credibility? Have you done anything to corroborate her? Because the victims are corroborated. They got a conviction at trial. When they said she abused them and when they said he facilitated her abuse, that was proven at trial. What What proof is there that she's telling the truth? Why are you promoting this? I mean, there are so many questions that Congress should be hauling his butt before Congress to testify about why he conducted this interview in the first place, what he's done to corroborate her.
This is what fascism looks like. Not just censorship, but narrative control. Don't give the public facts. Give them theater. Put a convicted criminal in front of a microphone. Let her say what you need said and then call it transparency. It's the same playbook we saw with Bar and the Muller report. It's the same playbook we saw with Trump's Ukraine call. It is always the same. Poison the well, blur the truth, and dare anyone to challenge you. So, here's the takeaway. The victim's voices were real. The trial was real. The conviction was real. But the Trump DOJ's Maxwell interview, that was a cover up wrapped in a PR stunt. And the fact that Maxwell went out of her way to call Trump president every single time, that wasn't respect. That was a sales pitch. Because for Galain Maxwell, the only get out of jail free card is in Trump's pocket.
I just wish her well, frankly. Uh, I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. Uh, but I wish her well. Thanks for watching What Was That. If you want more episodes, articles, and breakdowns, go to what was that. Join the community and become a paid subscriber today. It's just me behind the scenes, so every bit of support really makes a difference. And if you'd rather listen on the go, you can find What Was That on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows. Until next time, I'm Gabe Sanchez and this has been What was that? [Music]