Collection
Is This Bloomberg with Jeffrey Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell?
The U.S. Department of Justice's releases of Epstein-related files in early 2026 amplified scrutiny of Maxwell's connections to prominent people.
by Rae Deng , Nov. 27, 2019
Image courtesy of Getty Images/White House/20 Minutes/Snopes Illustration
Rumors about former British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell have circulated online for years due to her close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2022, a federal judge sentenced her to 20 years in prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls over the course of a decade. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in his jail cell, according to the FBI . Maxwell made news again in February 2026 for fighting the release of additional files related to the federal investigation into Epstein after the U.S. Department of Justice, on congressional orders, released more than 3 million of those documents.
Rumors about Maxwell's alleged associations with prominent people — such as U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton — have circulated widely for years, often alongside supposed photo and video evidence. While many such photos are real , online users have spread fake versions to smear politicians and celebrities.
Here's a collection of 25 rumors about Maxwell that we've investigated. (For claims about Epstein, specifically, see this collection of rumors.)
By Rae Deng
Rae Deng specializes in government/politics and is based in Tacoma, Wash.
What we know about report Ghislaine Maxwell was cleared to leave prison on work release
Aug. 13, 2025
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and had m ...
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Breaking down claim Ghislaine Maxwell offered to testify about Epstein client list
July 15, 2025
A Daily Mail report sparked rumors that Maxwell offered to testify before Congress about Jeffrey ...
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Fake photo shows Ghislaine Maxwell with US Magistrate Bruce Reinhart
June 3, 2025
U.S. Magistrate Bruce Reinhart approved the warrant allowing federal agents to search President ...
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Fake video shows Trump pointing at preteen girl while standing with Ghislaine Maxwell
July 15, 2025
Online users shared a video allegedly showing the future U.S. president eyeing a young girl with ...
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Don't fall for AI-generated image showing Canada's PM Mark Carney, Ghislaine Maxwell and Tom Hanks
March 24, 2025
The image circulated ahead of a heated political contest in Canada.
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Yes, Elon Musk and Ghislaine Maxwell were once photographed together
March 2, 2025
The 2014 photo of Musk and Maxwell, now a convicted sex trafficker, frequently circulates on soc ...
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Unraveling claim Melania was an escort before meeting Trump at Ghislaine Maxwell party
Sept. 1, 2025
The U.K. tabloid Daily Mail settled a defamation case after spreading the rumor in 2016.
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Real photo shows Trump and wife Melania with Ghislaine Maxwell?
July 17, 2025
The photo spread online as demands grew for the White House to release the so-called Epstein fil ...
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Photo of Ghislaine Maxwell is real, but the man isn't Chief Justice Roberts
Sept. 15, 2025
The man in the photo with Ghislaine Maxwell is actually French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
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Ghislaine Maxwell was moved from NY to Florida prison in 2022, not 2025
July 30, 2025
The convicted sex offender was moved from Brooklyn detention center to the FCI Tallahassee priso ...
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Was Ghislaine Maxwell's dad responsible for putting scientific research behind paywalls?
Nov. 30, 2025
Robert Maxwell founded a scientific publishing empire after World War II that turned research pa ...
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Investigating alleged photo of Melania Trump, Ghislaine Maxwell and unidentified girls
Feb. 7, 2026
The image spread soon after the Department of Justice released more than 3 million files pertain ...
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Breaking down claim Ghislaine Maxwell confirmed Epstein had 'secret tapes' of Trump, Clinton
Dec. 11, 2025
The rumor touched on long-running speculation about Epstein's powerful connections and alleged u ...
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Bill Gates and Ghislaine Maxwell Are Related?
Aug. 11, 2024
Online posts have long alleged that the tech magnate's mother was the sister of Maxwell's father ...
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Does Pic Show Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell with the Pope?
Nov. 30, 2021
The photo in question was reportedly taken circa 2003.
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Was Bill Clinton Photographed with Epstein and Maxwell at the White House?
April 27, 2022
We turned to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum to learn more.
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Did Ghislaine Maxwell Attend Chelsea Clinton's Wedding?
April 27, 2022
We were asked by our readers if convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell truly was photographe ...
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Does Ghislaine Maxwell Have a 'Dirty' Jail Cell and Refuses to Flush Her Toilet?
April 8, 2021
Prosecutors responded to lawyers' complaints about “horrific conditions” in the jail cell of Jef ...
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Is This Ghislaine Maxwell's Unsealed 'List of Names'?
Aug. 7, 2020
The list of dozens of names posted to Facebook was offered up in connection with the Jeffrey Eps ...
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Was Ghislaine Maxwell replaced with a body double in prison?
Feb. 25, 2026
Maxwell testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee via video conference, sparking rumor ...
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Watch out for video claiming Ghislaine Maxwell is walking free around Quebec
Feb. 23, 2026
According to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Maxwell was serving a 20-year prison sentence in Texas ...
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Did Trump Wish Ghislaine Maxwell Well During a Briefing?
July 23, 2020
The claims circulated after a July 2020 White House press briefing on COVID-19.
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Is Dr. Fauci Married to Ghislaine Maxwell's Sister?
July 7, 2020
Sharing a first name is not the same as sharing an identity.
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Are These Images of Donald Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell Real?
July 2, 2020
Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on sex abuse charges connected to convicted pedophile J ...
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Is This Bloomberg with Jeffrey Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell?
Nov. 27, 2019
The British socialite has been pictured with countless public figures over the years.
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