Unreliable Narrators

There was no one in the room for 9 hours but Maxwell and Blanche.

It is almost unheard of for a convicted sex trafficker to meet with such a high-ranking Justice Department official, especially one who used to be the president's top criminal defense attorney.

What is unheard of is a DOJ lawyer questioning a witness without witnesses to the questioning: other staff lawyers, paralegals, a stenographer. Who is making an accurate record of what is said? Who is keeping notes? Who can verify Blanche’s version of what he says she said? 

Certainly not her attorney:

"We don't want to get into the substance of the questions," Markus had said about Thursday's meeting. "There were a lot of questions and we went all day and she answered every one of them. She never said 'I'm not going to answer,' never declined."

But he does want to exonerate his client:

Markus said Maxwell's legal team has not approached Trump about a pardon, but suggested it could happen in the future.

"We haven't spoken to the president or anyone about a pardon just yet. And listen, the president this morning said he had the power to do so we hope he exercises that power in the right and just way," he said.

Maxwell's attorney said on Friday she's been treated poorly for the last five years and is grateful to be able to meet with Blanche as she appeals her sex trafficking conviction and seeks to leave prison.

"If you looked up scapegoat in the dictionary, her picture would be next to the definition," Markus said. "She's keeping her spirits up as best she can."

A lot of “reliable” narrators here 🙄, and still no reliable record. Not from Blanche, not from Maxwell, not from reporters. Why isn’t a reliable record the point of this exercise?

 It’s the Acosta indictment of Epstein in Florida all over again:

Annie Farmer, who testified against Maxwell at trial, questioned why Maxwell was granted a meeting with the deputy attorney general in the first place.

"It's very disappointing that these things are happening behind closed doors without any input from the people that the government asked to come forward and speak against her in order to put her away," Farmer said. "There were so many young girls and women that were harmed by her."

Because this is not about justice. This is about “just us.” The government, and the institutions that report on the government (and don’t ask too many questions, or point out too many irregularities, unless everyone else is already doing it). Or it’s about just Trump, and the mouse he carries around in his pocket.