By Steve Holland, Nandita Bose and Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump said on Friday he has not considered granting a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, even as her attorney indicated she would “welcome any relief.”
Trump’s remarks came as the White House is facing a political furor over Epstein’s case and renewed questions over his past relationship with the disgraced financier, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019.
“It’s something I haven’t thought about,” Trump told reporters when asked about the possibility of a pardon for Maxwell. “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.”
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, after being found guilty in 2021 of helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. She is currently appealing her sentence.
Maxwell completed a second day of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in Tallahassee, Florida, on Friday after the Justice Department reached out to her lawyers to see if she had additional information about the case.
David Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell, told reporters she answered questions truthfully, but declined to detail what was discussed.
“The truth will come out about what happened with Mr. Epstein and she’s the person who’s answering those questions,” Markus said.
Markus said Maxwell has not asked for anything from the U.S. government in exchange for her testimony and has not held discussions about a pardon. But he added that Maxwell would “welcome any relief,” deploring her treatment in federal prison.
The role of Blanche, the second-highest ranking official at the Justice Department and a former personal lawyer to Trump, was unusual. Senior officials typically do not personally conduct investigative interviews.
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Trump has been under growing pressure from his supporters and political opponents to release more information about the Justice Department’s investigation into Epstein, the disgraced financier who officials ruled died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
After Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this year promised to release additional materials related to possible Epstein clients and the circumstances surrounding his death, the Justice Department reversed course this month and issued a memo concluding there was no basis to continue investigating and no evidence of a client list.
Those findings sparked an angry outcry from some of Trump’s base of supporters who have long believed the government was covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful.
Asked about the meeting between Blanche and Maxwell, Trump said on Friday he wasn’t aware of the details, only that it was taking place.
He then pivoted to other claims, suggesting 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 said.
Trump appeared with Epstein at social events in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump’s name, along with many other high-profile individuals, appeared multiple times on flight logs for Epstein’s private plane in the 1990s. Trump has denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Nandita Bose and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Scott Malone and David Holmes)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.