The yellowjacket buzz of a plane circling above the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday roused the perspiring platoon of reporters staking out a meeting between a top Justice Department official and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The plane’s banner read, “Trump and Bondi are protecting predators.”
The accusation summed up concerns on the ground as Todd Blanche, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s top deputy, concluded a second extraordinary day of interviews with Ms. Maxwell, once a fixer for the financier Jeffrey Epstein who is now imprisoned on charges of sex trafficking.
Her lawyer estimated that over the course of her interview, Ms. Maxwell answered questions about 100 people, though it was unclear whether they included victims, associates or others implicated in her sex-trafficking case.
Ms. Maxwell has made it clear she wants her 20-year sentence thrown out or reduced or a pardon. President Trump, asked whether he would consider pardoning her, said, “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I haven’t thought about.” He made the remarks before he headed off to Scotland, wishing her well.
