Ghislaine Maxwell Update: Judge Orders 2015 Defamation Suit Documents Unsealed, Kayleigh McEnany Defends Trump Comment

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the public release of records from a 2015 defamation suit against the longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate and ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The suit was filed by Virginia Roberts Guiffre, one of Epstein's more prominent accusers.

Among the documents unsealed by the decision are emails and depositions by Guiffre and other women, accusing Epstein of abuse. The documents also include Maxwell's denial of knowledge. Medical records from the lawsuit will remain sealed, and Maxwell's lawyers have a week to file an appeal.

Guiffre has repeatedly accused Maxwell of being the one who recruited and groomed her. She said Maxwell met her in 2000 while she was working at a spa in Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's Florida resort, and asked if she would be interested in a job for Epstein. Guiffre said the two then groomed her under the pretense of being Epstein’s personal masseuse.

Judge Loretta Preska said, given the case, any concerns about Maxwell being “embarrassed” by the information within the files was “outweighed” by the public’s right to know.

Maxwell is currently in custody awaiting trial for her alleged involvement in the sexual abuse ring Epstein was accused of operating at the time of his suicide last August. She is facing multiple sex crime and perjury charges. Her trial is scheduled for July 2021.

The decision came the same day as White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany's attempt to defend Trump’s comment Tuesday regarding Maxwell in which he said he wished her well.

“What the president was noting is that the last person who was charged in [Epstein's] case ended up dead in a jail cell, and the president wants justice to be served for the victims in this case, and he prefers this to play out in a courtroom,” McEnany told Fox News.

Trump has been under fire for his comments about Epstein’s associate since Tuesday. He was asked during the briefing he had been keeping up with Maxwell’s case and if he had any thoughts on the matter.

“I haven't really been following it too much,” Trump said. “I just wish her well, frankly. I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is.”

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the statement "unacceptably obtuse."

Trump is among the many socialites with ties to Epstein and Maxwell though there is no evidence he was involved in the circle of abuse. The only name of note caught up in the Epstein case currently is Prince Andrew, who was named by Guiffre. While no charges have been filed against the prince, he was forced to resign all his public offices in May.