Podcaster and political commentator Candace Owens discussed Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, linking him to the Jeffrey Epstein saga via Ghislaine Maxwell’s family. On July 22, 2025, Owens released episode 2 of The Epstein Files podcast series, titled The House of Maxwell, on her eponymous podcast. In the episode, she explained:"Well, as I told you guys before, Elie Wiesel was the cousin of Robert Maxwell, (a) man of many names… (and a) man of many identities. Therefore, Elie Wiesel becomes a very curious piece of the Epstein story. Now enter Ghislaine Maxwell’s mother; that’s how this connects."To understand the connection Owens drew between Jeffrey Epstein’s case and Elie Wiesel, one needs to look into both their backgrounds.Elie Wiesel was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, and Holocaust survivor. He authored over 50 books. This included his acclaimed memoir Night, which chronicled his time in Auschwitz and Buchenwald.According to Owens’ statement in the aforementioned video, Wiesel was also the “cousin” of Robert Maxwell. Maxwell was a former member of Parliament. He was also the father of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and co-conspirator (as per AP News).Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 for aiding Epstein in his illegal sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison.Therefore, although not directly involved in the Epstein saga, Elie Wiesel was the cousin of the man whose daughter became Epstein’s co-conspirator. According to Owens, this established an indirect connection between the Holocaust survivor and the disgraced financier.Auschwitz survivor accused Elie Wiesel of identity theft, said Wiesel was an "impostor"Elie Wiesel (Image via Getty Images)Even before conservative commentator Candace Owens stirred debate by mentioning Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein case, Wiesel’s legacy was clouded by long-standing controversies.On November 15, 2017, BosNewsLife published an article featuring an accusation by Nikolaus (Miklós) Grüner. Grüner was a Hungarian-born Jewish survivor of Auschwitz. He claimed that Wiesel had stolen both the identity and the memoir of his friend and fellow inmate, Lázár Wiesel.Grüner explained that his friend Lázár had saved his life during the Holocaust, but insisted Elie Wiesel was not the same man."Lázár saved my life. But Elie Wiesel is an impostor who was never in a concentration camp," Grüner told BosNewsLife.According to Grüner, the confusion between the names “Elie” and “Lázár” may have been intentional, given that both are variants of the Hebrew name Eleazar. He believed this allowed Wiesel to assume the identity of someone who had lived through the horrors of the camps.Grüner further revealed to the publication how tension between Wiesel and him reportedly intensified in 1986. That was the year Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.The Hungarian-born Jewish survivor also recalled a meeting arranged by a Swedish newspaper at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm. He shared how he expected to be reunited with his old friend Lázár. Instead, he encountered a stranger, a man who spoke only English with a French accent, and showed no sign of a Holocaust tattoo.According to Grüner, Wiesel’s refusal to display was suspicious."That was very strange. The tattoo shows the identity of a true survivor. But this man didn’t even speak Hungarian or Jewish, but just English with a French accent. It was a tense and short meeting," Grüner addedHe further remarked:"They buried Wiesel quickly after his death so journalists could not see that he didn’t have a tattoo of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp."Justice Department announces decision to interview Ghislaine Maxwell amid renewed scrutiny in Jeffrey Epstein’s caseGhislaine Maxwell (Image via Getty Images)As per a CBS News report dated July 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated efforts to interview Ghislaine Maxwell. This decision was their renewed push for transparency and accountability, after the backlash they faced for their memo released in July 2025, where they stated that Epstein's case required no more investigation.In a statement shared on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Todd Blanche, the second-highest-ranking official at the DOJ and a former defense attorney for President Donald Trump, made a statement via X. He announced that he had reached out to Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal counsel and intended to meet with her soon.Blanche emphasized the department’s new approach by stating:"Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: What do you know? At @AGPamBondi’s direction, I’ve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits."Todd Blanche's statement regarding Ghislain Maxwell's (Image via X/DAGToddBlancheAnother statement from Blanche, shared by Attorney General Pam Bondi, on the same day further reflected the DOJ’s alignment with Trump’s directives:"President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say."The statement also confirmed the steps taken by DOJ that were already underway. Blanche mentioned that she had already “communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell” to “determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department.”As per the CBS News report, parallel to the DOJ’s move, legislative action mirrored this intent. On Capitol Hill, a subcommittee of the House Oversight and Reform Committee passed a motion. GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee authorized the committee chairman to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition.Amidst these developments, David Oscar Markus, Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorney, also confirmed ongoing communications with the government. He shared his statement via X on the same day."I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case," he wrote.A month after his imprisonment in 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his jail cell on August 10. He was found with bedsheets wrapped around his neck, and his death was declared a suicide. However, even today, his case continues to fuel new speculations and controversiesOn the other hand, his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, remains incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee.Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel passed away on the morning of July 2, 2016, at his residence in Manhattan, at the age of 87.