FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside his attorney Todd Blanche, speaks to the media as he arrives for his criminal trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Sarah Burris is a long-time veteran of political campaigns, having worked as a fundraiser and media director across the United States. She transitioned into reporting while working for Rock the Vote, Future Majority and Wiretap Magazine, covering the Millennial Generation's perspective during the presidential elections. As a political writer, Burris has had bylines at CNN, Salon.com, BNR, and AlterNet and serves as a senior digital editor for RawStory.com.
President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer is meeting with Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, outside of her federal prison on Thursday — and one legal analyst is warning he could get played.
Speaking to MSNBC as now-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was in a Florida federal courthouse, Lisa Rubin said that Blanche is far from an expert on the case.
"Let's start with how much investigation should be done before you even have that conversation. The people who are most familiar with these files are not, for at least as far as we know, participating in this conversation," said Rubin. The DOJ fired top prosecutor Maurene Comey, who helped prosecute Epstein and Maxwell. So, she hasn't prepped Blanche, said Rubin.
"So, one question I have is, does Todd Blanche even know if he was being played?" Rubin asked. "Does he know enough to know, or is he essentially the child who doesn't even know what to ask? I think you would take it with a large grain of salt, but then you would have to go back and familiarize yourself with what has she said previously, and what have the prosecutors who work for you said was a lie all along, without that requisite background knowledge accumulated over years..."
She went on to say that she's unclear how any Department of Justice representative could conduct a credible interview with Maxwell and assess whether or not she's being honest.