‘Allowed’ to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, but haven’t ‘thought’ about it: Donald Trump
Some critics, including a few Republican lawmakers, have warned against pardoning Maxwell. They say it could lead her to lie to investigators.
US President Donald Trump on Friday said he could pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, who was associated with Jeffrey Epstein, if she cooperates with investigations, but he has not yet considered doing so.
“I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about,” Trump said on Friday at the White House before leaving for Scotland.
When asked again by reporters, Trump declined to give more details, saying it was part of an ongoing investigation.
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for helping Epstein abuse underage girls, met for the second day on Friday with deputy attorney general Todd Blanche. Blanche, who used to be Trump’s personal lawyer, arranged the meeting as pressure grows on the administration to release more documents related to the case.
Some critics, including a few Republican lawmakers, have warned against pardoning Maxwell. They say it could lead her to lie to investigators.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, told CNN this week that any idea of a pardon should be “off the table” and that he did not think other Republicans would support it.
Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is mentioned in the Justice Department’s Epstein files, along with many other business and political figures. The report made it clear that being named does not mean someone was involved in any crime.
It also said Trump once wrote Epstein a letter with a drawing and a message for a birthday book made for him.
Trump denied writing the letter and has filed a libel lawsuit against Dow Jones & Co., News Corp., and Rupert Murdoch over the report.
On Friday, Trump told reporters he trusted Blanche in his talks with Maxwell, calling him a “professional lawyer.”
“I think he’s been through things like this before,” Trump said.
He also said he was frustrated that the media keeps talking about his link to Epstein and said others should be looked at instead. He insisted he had “nothing to do with the guy.”
“I never went to the island,” Trump said, referring to Epstein’s Caribbean properties where he is said to have abused young women.
“You should focus on some of the hedge fund guys. I’ll give you a list,” Trump said. “These guys lived with Jeffrey Epstein, I sure as hell didn’t.”
