WASHINGTON

A senior Justice Department official announced Tuesday that he intends to meet Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted child sex trafficker and longtime aide to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, "in the coming days."

The announcement comes amid a continued firestorm that has thrown President Donald Trump's MAGA base into open revolt after the Justice Department publicly determined that Epstein kept no "client list" that could be used to charge any additional individuals with sex crimes, and said Epstein was not murdered in his jail cell in 2019.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the document with the Justice Department's conclusions "remains as accurate today as it was when it was written," adding, "no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties."

"If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say," he said on X, using an acronym to refer to the Justice Department.

"Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General (Pam) Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days," he added.

Trump has repeatedly railed against the deepening controversy surrounding Epstein, calling it a "hoax" and directing Bondi last week to release any relevant grand jury testimony in the case.

That decision was sparked by a bombshell report in the Wall Street Journal newspaper which purported to shed new light on Trump's friendship with Epstein during the 1990s and 2000s.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on multiple sex trafficking crimes, including the sex trafficking of a minor, related to her decades-long scheme to procure and groom underage girls for Epstein. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Epstein died before his case could go to trial.

David Oscar Markus, an attorney representing Maxwell, confirmed that talks are ongoing with the Justice Department over a potential meeting, saying Maxwell "will always testify truthfully."

"We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case," he said.