Ghislaine Maxwell answered justice department questions 'about 100 different people', her lawyer says

The imprisoned former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein answered questions "about 100 different people" during one-and-a-half days of questioning in the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, her attorney David Oscar Markus said.

A senior administration official has confirmed to Sky News' US partner, NBC News, that Maxwell was granted limited immunity, meaning the information could not be used against her in any future cases or proceedings.

Mr Markus said Maxwell "answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability" when she met with deputy attorney general Todd Blanche.

"She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question, so we're very proud of her," Mr Markus added.

Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022 for luring young girls to massage rooms for Epstein to abuse, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Epstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at a Manhattan federal jail in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

His case has generated endless attention and conspiracy theories due to his and Maxwell's links to famous people like royals, presidents and billionaires, including Donald Trump.

Mr Trump is facing ongoing questions about the Epstein case. He denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago.

The deputy US attorney general, Mr Blanche, announced earlier this week that Maxwell would be interviewed because of Mr Trump's directive to gather and release any credible evidence about others who may have committed crimes.

Maxwell's lawyer, Mr Markus, praised Mr Blanche's approach.

"The deputy attorney general is seeking the truth. He asked every possible question, and he was doing an amazing job," he said.

Maxwell's immunity from future proceedings is "limited" because it only covers her if she tells the truth. Typically, prosecutors will consider the defendant's cooperation in an investigation when recommending a lighter sentence as part of a plea deal.

But since Maxwell has already been convicted, it is not clear how she might benefit from the immunity.

Mr Markus said Maxwell did not receive anything in return for answering the questions, but he acknowledged that Mr Trump could pardon her. "We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way," Mr Markus said.

When asked whether he had thought about a pardon or clemency for Maxwell, Mr Trump claimed he had not considered it.

"I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about," he told reporters outside the White House.

He later shut down another question, saying: "I don't want to talk about that."

Meanwhile, Maxwell's family have suggested the disgraced British socialite could use "government misconduct" to challenge her imprisonment.

Her family have frequently claimed she "did not receive a fair trial", but legal appeals against her sex trafficking convictions have been rejected by the courts.

Judges previously dismissed arguments from Maxwell's lawyers that she "should never have been prosecuted" because of a "weird" agreement drafted more than 15 years ago.

The family argue that Maxwell should have been protected under an agreement Epstein had entered with the US Department of Justice in 2007, which agreed not to prosecute any of his co-conspirators.

During her trial in 2021, Maxwell was described as "dangerous" by prosecutors, who told jurors about how she would entice vulnerable girls to go to Epstein's properties for him to sexually abuse.

In a statement, her family said: "Our sister Ghislaine did not receive a fair trial. Her legal team continues to fight her case in the courts and will file its reply in short order to the government's opposition in the US Supreme Court."

-SKY NEWS