Ghislaine Maxwell says she knew Elon Musk, recalls meeting at party and Oscars

Asked about Epstein’s wider network, Maxwell listed a string of prominent names, but insisted them not being related to the crimes.

By: Express Web Desk
Updated: August 25, 2025 09:18 AM IST

3 min read

Maxwell also said she believes Musk and Epstein had exchanged emails. (Photos: Getty images/ File)

The Trump administration on Friday released the transcript of a courthouse interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, longtime confidante of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding Epstein in sex trafficking, confirmed that she knew Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

She recalled meeting him at a 2010 or 2011 Caribbean island party hosted for Google co-founder Sergey Brin. She mentioned that Epstein was not present at that gathering, according to USA Today. The British socialite also noted meeting Musk at the Oscars.

She said that documents from her trial indicated Musk and Epstein had exchanged emails. “I believe they did,” Maxwell said when pressed, clarifying that her recollection came from discovery materials rather than personal memory. “My memory is not as good as I would like it to be,” she added, according to NBC News.

Names of other high-profile figures

Asked about Epstein’s wider network, Maxwell listed a string of prominent names, including Andrew M Cuomo, John F Kerry, Edward M Kennedy, Sarah Ferguson, Naomi Campbell, Alan Dershowitz, Kevin Spacey, and Larry Summers but insisted these were friends or business acquaintances, not implicated in Epstein’s crimes, NYT reported.

She also denied President Donald Trump’s involvement in the crimes for which she was convicted.

In her conversation with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell dismissed several theories surrounding the case, even as she seeks a reduced sentence.

She also said Epstein had been close to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak but claimed she remembered little about that relationship.

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Also Read: | Maxwell suggests Epstein may have been set up with Princess Diana: ‘Don’t want to speak bad of her’

Musk’s feud with Trump over Epstein files

Musk has been critical of Trump’s handling of Epstein-related documents. According to ABC News, Musk posted or reposted attacks more than 35 times until July on his social media platform X, accusing the Trump administration of a “cover up” after it declined to release additional Epstein files.

Musk has claimed, and then deleted, a post alleging Trump’s name appeared in the Epstein files. He mocked Trump’s dismissal of the matter as the “Epstein Hoax,” writing: “Wow, amazing that Epstein ‘killed himself’ and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax.”

(With inputs from USA Today, NYT, ABC News, NBC News)

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