The Maxwell-Blanche Interview

A Dramatic Reading of the Strangest Federal Inmate Interview in American History

Last July, Trump’s personal attorney Todd “Whiteout” Blanche, in his capacity as Deputy Attorney General of the United States of America, conducted a two day interview in a Tallahassee office with convicted Epstein sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. He shared the interview table with his old friend David Markus, Ghislaine’s defense attorney.

Everything about the spectacle was outrageous and beyond all legal norms. The White House was in the early stages of a political panic over Epstein that has proven lasting. Blanche had hightailed it to Florida after the Wall Street Journal published the now infamous “birthday book” bawdy message Donald Trump drew for his friend’s 50th birthday. At the time Trump was claiming the image was fake and was about to sue the Journal for $10 Billion (a judge just tossed that out.) And Trump, who had ginned up Epstein Deep State Democrats baby eating pedophiles Q-Anon theorizing for his own political benefit, was now calling the whole Epstein story a “hoax” and its avid MAGA followers “stupid.”

The interview was framed as a “proffer” - that is an offer from a defendant or convict to tell the truth about crimes, and maybe spill the beans on uncharged conspirators. But - as reporters familiar with Maxwell’s criminal and civil cases and lawyers who know how to conduct proffers all observed at the time - the meeting was more like a very long, somewhat awkward get to know you first date where both sides have very specific and very ardent desires, than any criminal case proffer.

On her side, Maxwell repeatedly lied, or claimed to have forgotten things easily found in previous civil and criminal testimony and records. She even - insidiously - blamed Virginia Giuffre for Epstein’s predatory sex habits.

Blanche, who spent years prosecuting violent federal crimes, had to have read at least some of the record on Maxwell’s crimes. But he never contradicted her, and besides eliciting her money quote “Trump was a perfect gentleman,” he confined his questions about men to Democratic and progressive Epstein pals. Son-of-a-preacher-man Blanche squirmed through questions about sex toys and naked underage masseuses, and Ghislaine’s and Jeff’s sexual difficulties, and called for breaks when the topic got too close to his boss and /or his pals.

As we all know, a few weeks later, Maxwell was sprung from a high security women’s prison and moved to a camp fed where she can play with puppies and meet her family and friends in a room where prison staff serves snacks.

Now that Rep. James Comer has indicated that some Republicans are ready to PARDON Maxwell (cue: political ploy to spread blame from Trump alone) independent journalist Scott Carney at Magnetic North and I decided to record ourselves reading the entire two day transcript. We worked hard to stay in character (I snagged an orange t shirt and was sick that day, so rocking an authentic inmate look, Scott did the Trump tool in white shirt and red tie). It was arduous — but we often found ourselves having to stop, laugh and discuss the insanity of our conversation.

I’ll be uploading the first day’s conversation soon, paywalled for now. Eventually we will post it everywhere as a public service.