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Why is Ghislaine Maxwell's deposition redacted to hide names? Internet demands guilty rich be exposed

Maxwell's 2016 sworn testimony is the only public document available surrounding her controversial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. She was questioned about the many famous men in Epstein’s orbit

The 400-plus page deposition taken in 2016 from the accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was unsealed on October 22 after U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska ordered its release.  

This is now the only public document available surrounding her controversial relationship with the disgraced billionaire and alleged sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. The records, which date back to court depositions taken in 2016, discuss a defamation suit brought by Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts), one of Epstein’s accusers. Maxwell's lawyers had fought hard to suppress the sworn testimony where she prevaricates and is often combative.

For instance, when asked "Have you ever observed a female under the age of 18 at Jeffrey Epstein’s home that was not a friend, a child — one of your friend’s children?", Maxwell replied, "I can’t testify to that because I have no idea what you are talking about". In another section of the testimony, Maxwell is asked when she first recruited a female to work for Mr. Epstein to which she replies, "can you please clarify the question? I don't understand what you mean by female, I don't understand what you mean by recruit. Please be more clear and specific about what you are suggesting."

When asked about a basket of sex toys at Epstein's Palm Beach house, Maxwell first asks Virginia Giuffre's lawyer to "define what are you talking about" and when he does, Maxwell replies, "I have no idea what you are referring to". However, despite this sort of evasion, Maxwell did reveal that her job "included hiring many people" for Epstein and that a "very small part" of her job "was to find adult professional massage therapists for Jeffrey".

While she claimed that the Virginia Roberts (Giuffre) account of abuse at the hands of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Epstein was a lie, she admitted that she knew Roberts was only 17 when she started massaging the disgraced millionaire at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Maxwell said: "First of all, Virginia Roberts who you are referring to was a masseuse aged 17, we all now know, so your story that you keep pushing out to the press that she was a 15-year-old — you and I both know was a lie."  

The unsealed documents are heavily redacted to protect the privacy of those named in the deposition. In the deposition, Maxwell was pressed to answer questions about the many famous men in Epstein’s orbit, like Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, and Prince Andrew. The release of the heavily redacted document drew ire on Twitter after Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown tweeted soon after Miami Herald's lawsuit to unseal testimony was successful. She wrote: "Court also redacted the names of other men who may have been present at Jeffrey's homes or on his plane. Unclear on what basis these names were redacted."

In response to her tweet, several tweets said that the "powerful men" would go scot-free. One tweet said: "No question Maxwell richly deserves anything & everything coming her way, which is hopefully life in prison, but the powerful men (Clinton, Prince Andrew) will remain free & live life high off there hog as is were - untouchable.", while another said: "It’s all a cover up to protect the rich and famous. Who cares if it’s Dems or Reps involved, they should be held accountable and punished!". Another tweet lamented: "Unfortunately, all the names of the wealthy & powerful men involved with Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell's Pedophile & Sex Trafficking ring are REDACTED."

One tweet demanded the names be released, stating: "As ugly as it will be, release ALL the names, dates, events, messages, videos from the Epstein and Maxwell cases. Many wealthy people should be very afraid right NOW." Another user tweeted: "I wish they would release all of the information and names of the RAPISTS in Ghislaine Maxwell’s deposition. It’s honestly disgusting how being rich gets you so much power especially in this whole situation. Luckily you can put two & two together but it shouldn’t be hidden @ all."

However, some redacted names are evident. For instance, Virginia Roberts (Giuffre) had claimed in an unpublished memoir that Maxwell bought Andrew a puppet version of himself as a present and gave it to him during a party in New York. This is referred to during the questioning. Maxwell was asked: "Do you recall ever giving [REDACTED] a gift of a puppet that was in the same—that looked like him?" She replied: "I never gave him a gift of a puppet."

However, the concerning part of the redactions is when it blanks out several lines of Maxwell's testimony -- not just names. For instance, when she is asked: "Do you recall going to a place called [REDACTED], Jeffrey Epstein and yourself and Virginia Roberts?", Maxwell gives a lengthy, five-line answer which has been blanked out entirely as per the judge's orders.

Giuffre's attorneys told the press that while they welcome the transcript's release, it is a fraction of the evidence. "The public should know today's unsealing is only a small part of the total evidence," said Giuffre's lead attorney, Sigrid McCawley. "As the evidence comes out, it will be clear why Ms. Maxwell and others who enabled Jeffrey Epstein are fighting so hard to keep it concealed. As our client Virginia Giuffre bravely asserts, they did not act alone." Maxwell is the only one who can tell the truth about the sex ring she allegedly ran with Epstein where underage girls and young women were groomed to have sex with rich and powerful men.