Claims that Trump appointed Ghislaine Maxwell’s former lawyer as acting attorney general are false. Here’s what actually happened.
Social media posts claimed that Donald Trump appointed Ghislaine Maxwell’s former defense attorney as acting U.S. attorney general. The claim is false and based on a misunderstanding of roles and identities.
Fact-checkers found no evidence that Trump appointed Maxwell’s former defense lawyer to lead the Department of Justice. The viral claim misidentifies individuals and incorrectly links them to positions they do not hold.
The confusion appears to stem from the fact that some lawyers connected to high-profile cases—including those involving Maxwell or Trump—have had overlapping roles in different legal contexts. However, Maxwell’s defense attorneys have not been appointed as acting attorney general.
At the time referenced in the claim, the acting attorney general was a different individual with a separate professional background. Public records and official announcements confirm that no such appointment involving Maxwell’s legal team occurred.
There is also no credible reporting from major news organizations supporting the claim. Given the high-profile nature of both the attorney general position and Maxwell’s case, such an appointment would have received widespread media coverage—but it did not.
The rumor fits a common misinformation pattern: combining real people connected to well-known legal cases with incorrect claims about government appointments to create a misleading narrative.
Final Verdict: False ❌ Donald Trump did not appoint Ghislaine Maxwell’s former defense attorney as acting attorney general. The claim is based on misidentification and lacks any factual support.
References
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-ghislaine-maxwell-attorney-general/