“I have never seen anybody have sexual intercourse with Jeffrey, ever,” the deposition transcript says, and later: “I never saw any inappropriate underage activities with Jeffrey ever.”
As for Giuffre, she said: “I never ever at any single time at any point ever at all participated in anything with Virginia and Jeffrey. And for the record, she is an absolute total liar.”
A lawyer for Giuffre did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the transcript.
US District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan had directed that a transcript of Maxwell’s testimony and other documents be released.
Epstein once counted US President Donald Trump, former US President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew as friends. They have not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.
Donald Trump, his wife-to-be, Melania Knauss, with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida in 2000.Credit:Getty Images
Maxwell testified that she flew on Epstein’s planes with Clinton but wouldn’t characterise the two men as friends or acquaintances and said she was never on one of Epstein’s private islands with Clinton.
“One of (the) lies she told was that President Clinton was on the island where I was present. Absolutely 1000 per cent that is a flat out total fabrication and lie,” Maxwell said under oath in a deposition that lasted 9½ hours.
Lawyers for Maxwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While Maxwell repeatedly denied wrongdoing, she was bombarded with questions about whether any indecent activities were taking place in Epstein’s orbit. Her lawyers have said the fact the questions were asked could suggest to the public that Giuffre’s lawyers believed they might have had a basis to ask them, even if the conduct never happened.
Jailed pending trial
Lawyers for Maxwell had argued that making the deposition public could imperil her ability to get a fair trial, because jurors might hold its contents against her. A trial is scheduled for July 2021.
Maxwell was arrested on July 2 in Bradford, New Hampshire, where authorities said she was hiding on a property she bought in December in an all-cash transaction with her identity shielded. She is locked up in a Brooklyn jail after the judge in her criminal case called her an unacceptable flight risk.
Maxwell told lawyers that she was employed by Epstein and hired assistants, architects, decorators, cooks, cleaners, gardeners, pool people and pilots as part of the upkeep of six homes, according to the transcript, which takes up 418 pages.
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“… a very small part of my job was from time to time to find adult professional massage therapists for Jeffrey,” the transcript said.
Questioned by lawyers on whether she hired them, Maxwell replied: “When I meant hire, I didn’t mean hire in the way you are doing it. What I say is that I went to spas and I met people and if they did home visits, Jeffrey would then, in fact, hire them. I’m not responsible for hiring someone. And they were not full-time, so it’s not a correct characterisation.”
Maxwell’s deposition and other documents were cleared for release after the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on Monday rejected her “meritless” arguments that her interests outweighed the presumption the public should see the materials.
Many names in the transcript of the deposition were blacked out.
Giuffre, who now lives in Australia and has been one of Epstein’s most visible accusers, and the Miami Herald newspaper, which investigated Epstein’s conduct and successful bid in 2007 to avoid federal sex trafficking charges, had sought the unsealing.
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Epstein killed himself at age 66 in August 2019 at a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges announced the previous month.
He had previously escaped federal prosecution by pleading guilty in 2008 to Florida state prostitution charges, an agreement now widely considered too lenient.
Asked why she maintained contact with Epstein after his guilty plea, Maxwell responded that she was “a very loyal person and Jeffrey was very good to me when my father passed away and I believe that you need to be a good friend in people’s hour of need and that it was a very thoughtful, nice thing for me to do” and helped with any issues with his homes.
Giuffre has said she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with his friends, including the British prince when she was 17 years old. Andrew has denied the allegations.
Support is available for those who may be distressed by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636.
Reuters
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