President Donald Trump said he hasn’t thought about pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, but he reminded reporters that he does have the power to do it if he wants. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein traffic underage girls. Epstein, who was a wealthy financier, died in jail in 2019 before he could go to trial on sex trafficking charges.
There’s been growing public anger about how Trump and his administration handled documents and information related to Epstein’s crimes. Many people think the government has not been fully transparent. Some believe there’s a hidden list of people involved with Epstein that has not been made public. A new Justice Department memo said no such client list exists, but critics from both political parties aren’t buying it. They think this contradicts earlier government claims.
On Friday, a reporter asked Trump if he might pardon Maxwell. Trump replied that he hadn’t considered it but could legally do so. Later that same day, after landing in Scotland, he added that now isn’t the right time to talk about pardons, even though many people have asked him about it.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Markus, confirmed they haven’t talked to Trump or his team about a possible pardon yet. He added that since Trump acknowledged having the power to pardon, they hope he uses that power fairly and justly.
Some people believe Maxwell is cooperating with the Justice Department in hopes of getting a pardon. For example, Democratic Representative Robert Garcia said Maxwell’s talks with the DOJ shouldn’t be trusted unless everything she says is backed up by documents from the Epstein case.
Trump does have wide authority under the Constitution to issue pardons. However, doing so in Maxwell’s case could create major political problems, especially since many Americans are already upset about how the Epstein files have been handled.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department is speaking with Maxwell again because she may have important information about Epstein. However, details about these meetings remain unclear.
Jeffrey Epstein was first arrested in 2006 for sex crimes in Florida and got a light sentence through a controversial plea deal in 2008. He was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges, but was found dead in his jail cell less than a month later. Officials ruled it a suicide, but the circumstances around his death have led to many conspiracy theories.
Some lawmakers and legal experts are skeptical of Maxwell’s motives. Representative Dan Goldman said any information she provides should be supported by actual files, especially if she’s hoping for a pardon from someone like Trump. Former federal prosecutor Joyce White Vance said Trump could wait until his last day in office to pardon her in exchange for helpful testimony—and that the Supreme Court has ruled he couldn’t be punished for it. That’s why any new information she offers should be taken with caution unless there’s solid evidence.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also questioned whether Maxwell can be trusted at all, considering her criminal past and the serious nature of the crimes she was involved in.
Moving forward, Trump is expected to face continued pressure to release all the documents related to Epstein’s case. Many people want the full truth to come out, and public trust is at stake.
