President Donald J. Trump said Tuesday he had no knowledge of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell’s recent prison transfer, telling reporters he learned about it “just like you did.”

“I didn’t know about it at all, nope,” Trump stated during a public event focused on the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The president’s remarks came after he was asked whether he personally signed off on the move, which saw Maxwell transferred from Tallahassee, Florida, to a minimum-security facility in Bryan, Texas. He flatly denied involvement and emphasized that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—his former personal attorney—acted entirely on his own authority.

“I didn’t talk to [Blanche] about it, but I will tell you that whatever he asked would be totally appropriate,” Trump said. “It’s not an uncommon thing to do that… and I think he probably wants to make sure that people who should not be involved, or aren’t involved, are not hurt by something that would be very, very unfortunate.”

Trump praised Blanche as a “very highly thought of person, respected by everybody,” calling his actions “totally aboveboard.”

Blanche reportedly met one-on-one with Maxwell ahead of the transfer as part of the ongoing federal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, according to Newsweek. Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for sex trafficking minors in connection with Epstein’s abuse network, is currently appealing her conviction and sentence.

Legal analysts and former prosecutors expressed deep concern over Blanche’s personal involvement in the Maxwell meeting.

“It is very concerning when you have someone who was formerly the president’s personal lawyer then getting involved to possibly assist the president in protecting his own image,” said Claire Finkelstein, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, in comments to NPR.

Former federal prosecutor Sarah Krissoff, who worked under Blanche in New York, said the conduct was out of the ordinary.

“You generally would never conduct an interview of a cooperating witness without law enforcement personnel in the room,” she said.

Despite media pressure, the White House referred reporters back to Trump’s comments when pressed on whether the president finds Maxwell credible. Trump sidestepped that question directly.

The House Oversight Committee this week rejected a request from Maxwell’s legal team seeking immunity in exchange for her congressional testimony.

Maxwell’s attorneys claimed she would provide details about her relationship with Epstein, contingent upon being granted legal immunity and other undisclosed conditions.

Maxwell, a central figure in one of the most disturbing political scandals in recent memory, was found guilty in 2022 for orchestrating a multi-year scheme with Epstein to recruit and abuse underage girls. She is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence.

Despite her conviction, the Epstein scandal continues to cast a long shadow across elite political, corporate, and media circles—many of whom remain unnamed and uncharged.

Trump has previously said he hasn't considered pardoning Maxwell, though he acknowledged the constitutional power to do so.