Ghislaine Maxwell - the Woman Who Knew Too Much
Long before we knew the story of Jeffrey Epstein, a young Ghislaine Maxwell was coming of age in the 53-bedroom home of her father, Robert Maxwell, a British media proprietor and politician. He named his luxury yacht after the little girl, the "Lady Ghislaine," but spent most of his time buying and selling businesses like MacMillan and Pergamon Press, and flying back and forth to Headington Hill in Oxford on his helicopter. Ghislaine would later say that she had a "difficult, traumatic childhood with an overbearing, narcissistic, and demanding father...(that) made [her] vulnerable to Epstein." But despite being a billionaire, Robert Maxwell had a lot of debt, (having "plundered hundreds of millions of pounds from his companies' pension funds) and in 1991 his body was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean. The newspapers said he had apparently fallen overboard from the "Lady Ghislaine," but Ghislaine never believed the stories.
"One thing I am sure about is that he did not commit suicide. I think he was murdered." - Ghislaine Maxwell, Hello! Magazine, 1997
She would meet Jeffrey Epstein for the first time just a few months later. And despite the bad taste her father left, she found common ground with the young millionaire financier.
It is unclear how long Maxwell dated Epstein, though there is evidence to indicate it was from about 1992 to 1997. However, due to the nature of Epstein's “extracurricular” activities and business dealings, those lines may be blurred. In a 2003 Vanity Fair article Epstein claimed that Maxwell was his "best friend," indicating that, at least on paper, they were no longer together. But he stated that although she wasn't on his payroll, she "organized much of [his] life," and that when a relationship is over, the girlfriend "moves up, not down," to friendship status.
The following are a few quotes I found eye-catching, considering the journalist, Vicky Ward, had no idea of what was to come.
"Guests are invited to lunch or dinner at the town house—Epstein usually refers to the former as “tea,” since he likes to eat bite-size morsels and drink copious quantities of Earl Grey. (He does not touch alcohol or tobacco.)" - Vicky Ward, Vanity Fair
"'Let’s play chess,' he said to me, after refusing to give an interview for this article. 'You be white. You get the first move.' It was an appropriate metaphor for a man who seems to feel he can win no matter what the advantage of the other side. His advantage is that no one really seems to know him or his history completely or what his arsenal actually consists of. He has carefully engineered it so that he remains one of the few truly baffling mysteries among New York’s moneyed world. People know snippets, but few know the whole." - Vicky Ward, Vanity Fair
"Epstein is known about town as a man who loves women—lots of them, mostly young. Model types have been heard saying they are full of gratitude to Epstein for flying them around, and he is a familiar face to many of the Victoria’s Secret girls. One young woman recalls being summoned by Ghislaine Maxwell to a concert at Epstein’s town house, where the women seemed to outnumber the men by far." - Vicky Ward, Vanity Fair
"Epstein recently flew President Clinton, actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, Lew Wasserman’s grandson, Casey Wasserman, and a few others, on a mission to explore the problems of AIDS and economic development in Africa." - Vicky Ward, Vanity Fair
Okay, I could share a lot of quotes from that article.
My point is, Ghislaine Maxwell was around the whole time, whether as a romantic partner or business accomplice. And she kept a rolodex of every prominent individual involved in the ins and outs of Jeffrey Epstein's life. This rolodex was later published as the "Little Black Book" and is now available as a searchable database of 1,510 names. But however much we'd like to glean from a list of names, many of whom sit across the aisle or have been involved in other various scandals over the years, the only person who knows the details of that Little Black Book is Ghislaine Maxwell, herself.
Currently Maxwell is sitting in a Tallahassee prison cell until 2037 for her role as an accomplice in Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking ring that involved upwards of 1000 underage girls. As we all know, two people don't make a "ring." So Maxwell knows something, many somethings, and holds the power in her withered, offending little hands, to take down the most powerful man in in America: The President of the United States. Because Donald Trump's fingerprints are on every flight log and phone message left for Jeffrey Epstein.
We found out this week Trump even wrote Epstein a cryptic birthday card, kept by Maxwell, with the outline of a naked woman and a staged conversation. It reads as follows, narrated by Khadeeja Safdar and Jessica Mendoza, hosts of "The Journal," the Wall Street Journal's podcast:
Khadeeja Safdar: There was a letter in the book and it had Trump's signature on it and several lines of typewritten text. And then around that text was an outline of a naked woman, and it looked like it had been drawn almost like with a Sharpie. And then in the midst of the text, there was two small arcs that showed what appeared to be like the woman's breasts. And on the bottom was Trump's signature, but just the first name, Donald.
Jessica Mendoza: The Future President's signature was written below the woman's waist, a squiggle mimicking pubic hair.
Khadeeja Safdar: The text itself was like this fictitious conversation between Donald and Jeffrey.
Jessica Mendoza: What did it say?
Khadeeja Safdar: It started voiceover. There must be more to life than having everything. Donald: Yes, there is, but I won't tell you what it is. Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is. Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Jeffrey: Yes, we do. Come to think of it. Donald: Enigmas never age. Have you noticed that? Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret. It felt like it was like inside joke.
The same day, an article came out in the New York Times stating that Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has been "digging into Mr. Epstein's financial network for the past three years." In it he found 4,700 wire transfers dating to 2003, including payments to women in Belarus and Russia, the same locations as many of Epstein’s victims. This included "suspicious activity," transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars from a single bank account. Further digging should be able to answer the "who, what, where, when, and why" of these payments.
Which leads me to one final thought on the world of Ghislaine Maxwell, sex-trafficking accomplice and knower of all high-end, wealthy dirt. She is likely to be offered some kind of plea deal, a financial payout from the Trump Administration in exchange for her release and promise never to disclose what she knows. Top lawyers are already vying for her affection, including close Trump chum Alan Dershowitz, and her attorney David Oscar Markus has described Donald Trump as the "ultimate dealmaker." So in theory, money could change hands in order to keep Maxwell quiet, send her off to a life of obscurity, and allow Donald Trump to finish out his presidency, if his ankles don't take him out first.
But here's the thing. Two days before Jeffrey Epstein died, he signed a new will. His estate details wealth of $577,672,654, including planes, cars, boats, art, antiques, and "other personal property." In it he bequeathed nothing to his brother, Mark Epstein, but instead left all his worldly possessions and assets to "The 1953 Trust," but the beneficiaries are foggy. It included two of his co-trustees who were also accused in a lawsuit of aiding and abetting Epstein's sex-trafficking ring. But there are rumors that Maxwell was the actual beneficiary on multiple trusts in Epstein's name, and had sued his estate claiming he promised to financially support her.
"Maxwell claimed in the suit that Epstein told her he would continue to support her financially even if she pursued a business venture of her own, and that in 2004 he gave her a typewritten letter with a handwritten note asking her to 'remain in Epstein’s employ and promising that no matter what Maxwell chose to do, Epstein would always support Maxwell financially.'" - Kara Scannell, CNN
In conclusion, Donald Trump is going to have to start scraping his pennies if he wants to outbid Ghislaine Maxwell for her silence. Last I checked, the going rate was about $130,000 on his end, and with all these tariffs that's just not going to cut it anymore. So we'll have to watch this play out, whether the Wall Street Journal can take him down before he gets his hands on Maxwell's assets, or if we all get to sit back and watch him try to put toothpaste back in the tube.
To see a full breakdown of all the documents that link Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, including flight logs, phone memos, little black books, and indictments, you can read my previous post Donny T. and Jeffrey E. - A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Other documents pertaining to this case are as follows:
The United States of America v. Ghislaine Maxwell
Virginia Giuffre et al v. Ghislaine Maxwell
Virginia L. Giuffre (Jane Doe 102) v. Jeffrey Epstein
Jane Doe v. Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey E. Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein’s Last Will and Testament
Ellie is an author, editor, and owner of Red Pencil Transcripts, and works with filmmakers, podcasts, and journalists all over the world. She lives with her family just outside of New York City.
If Ms Maxwell ever talks, it will be epic! I don’t think stingy trump can pay her enough. I just hope she does not end up dead under “mysterious circumstances.”
Good article Ellie. Thank you!