DOJ Transcripts Reveal Maxwell’s Account of Fossil-Hunting Trip with RFK Jr. and Jeffrey Epstein

The Department of Justice on Friday released newly transcribed interviews with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, in which she recounted a decades-old trip involving Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his late wife Mary, and Jeffrey Epstein — long before Epstein’s criminal charges came to light.

The transcripts and audio, stemming from two days of interviews in July, shed light on Maxwell’s description of her social circle in the 1980s and 1990s, including connections to prominent political families.

Maxwell Names RFK Jr. in Epstein Association

On July 25, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche pressed Maxwell on Epstein’s political ties. Maxwell volunteered that “Bobby Kennedy knew him.”

When asked how she knew that, Maxwell responded:

“Because we went on a trip together. Was — we went to — dinosaur bone hunting in the Dakotas.”

Maxwell clarified that her connection to Kennedy came through his wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, who tragically died in 2012.

“I knew Bobby’s wife, Mary, pretty well, actually. And before he met her,” Maxwell said. “I was the — I had a very, very longstanding boyfriend and he had — his brother was dating Mary at the time, and we were all very good friends.”

Maxwell added that she and Kennedy remained in contact into the 2000s but claimed no personal knowledge of Epstein and Kennedy maintaining ties after those trips.

Kennedy’s Own Account Matches Maxwell’s

Kennedy, now serving as President Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, has publicly acknowledged limited contact with Epstein in past interviews. In December 2023, he admitted to flying twice on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s — one of those occasions being the fossil-hunting trip Maxwell described.

“I was on Jeffrey Epstein’s jet two times. I was on it in 1993, and I went to Florida with my wife and two children to visit my mom over Easter. My wife had some kind of relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, and they offered us a ride to Palm Beach,” Kennedy said.

“On another occasion I flew again with my family, with, I think, four of my children and Mary, my wife, to Rapid City, South Dakota, to go fossil hunting for a weekend.”

He emphasized that he was never alone with Epstein and underscored that this was before Epstein’s crimes were publicly known.

“I was never on his jet alone,” Kennedy said. “I have been very open about this. This was in ’93, so it was 30 years ago. It was before anybody knew about Jeffrey Epstein’s nefarious issues. And I agree with you that all of this information should be released. We should get real answers to what happened to Jeffrey Epstein and all of the high-level political people he was involved with, all of that should be open to the public.”

Calls for Transparency

Kennedy has been vocal about government secrecy surrounding Epstein’s case. In a January 2024 interview, he argued the American people deserve full disclosure.

“I’ve been an advocate for transparency. I think the government keeps too many secrets. I think it’s important for the American public to know whether Jeffrey Epstein had some sort of corrupt influence on public officials,” Kennedy said.

Maxwell’s Conviction

Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in enabling Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. The DOJ notes her conviction stemmed from “a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade.”

The revelations in these transcripts once again highlight the unanswered questions about Epstein’s powerful network — and the public’s right to know the full extent of his influence.