United States President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he has not considered granting a pardon or commutation for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell’s case has recently re-entered public discourse amidst renewed political controversy. “It’s something I haven’t thought about,” Trump told reporters when questioned about the possibility of a pardon for Maxwell. He added, “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.”
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, after being convicted in 2021 of assisting Epstein in the sexual abuse of teenage girls. She is presently in the process of appealing her sentence. Trump has faced increasing pressure from both his supporters and political adversaries to release more information regarding the Justice Department’s investigation into Epstein, the disgraced financier whom officials ruled died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi had pledged to release additional materials related to potential Epstein clients and the circumstances surrounding his death. However, the Justice Department reversed its course this month, issuing a memo that concluded there was no basis to continue the investigation and no evidence of a client list. These findings have provoked a strong outcry from some of Trump’s core supporters, who have long held the belief that the government was concealing information about Epstein’s connections to wealthy and powerful individuals.
Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer to Trump, confirmed that he met with Maxwell in Florida on Thursday and intended to meet with her again on Friday. This was after he contacted her lawyers to ascertain if she possessed “information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims.” When asked about the meeting between Blanche and Maxwell, Trump stated on Friday that he was not aware of the specifics, only that it was taking place.
He then shifted the discussion to other claims, suggesting that other high-profile figures should face scrutiny over their ties to Epstein. “They don’t talk about them. They talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy,” Trump asserted. Trump had appeared with Epstein at social events in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump’s name, alongside numerous other prominent individuals, appeared multiple times on flight logs for Epstein’s private plane during the 1990s. Trump has consistently denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
