President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that he is “allowed” to pardon Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell but told reporters that no one has asked him to issue one to her.
When asked on Monday if he would ever consider a pardon for Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for child sex trafficking and other crimes, Trump told reporters: “Well, I’m allowed to give her a pardon, but I — nobody’s approached me with it. Nobody’s asked me about it. It’s in the news about that, that aspect of it, but right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it.”
Trump, who is in Scotland to meet with U.K. leaders, had previously said “a lot of people” have asked him about pardons — without mentioning Maxwell by name. Maxwell is currently appealing her conviction. Maxwell last week completed a two-day interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche after the DOJ sought to interview her amid an outcry from conservatives and others.
The president has come under fire for his administration’s decision to withhold the release of information related to an investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide while in jail in 2019. The Justice Department in early July released a memo stating that there was no evidence that Epstein was murdered and that there is no incriminating “client list.”
The topic has divided the GOP, with some Congressional members teaming up with Democrats in an effort to compel the White House to release what information it does have.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Attorney General Pam Bondi in May briefed Trump that his name appears multiple times in files related to the federal investigation into Epstein.
The uproar over Epstein doesn’t appear to be dying down. Tech billionaire and one-time close Trump ally Elon Musk on Monday appeared to support claims that Trump would issue Maxwell a pardon if she implicates Democrats in testimony, responding to one social media post suggesting as much with an emoji of a bullseye.
Speaker Mike Johnson also appeared to indicate he would not support a pardon for Maxwell. The Louisiana Republican told NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” that though the decision is Trump’s, he has “great pause about that, as any reasonable person would.”
“If you’re asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance,” Johnson said of Maxwell’s sentence. “I think she should have a life sentence at least.”
But at least one Republican has indicated a pardon for Maxwell could be a bargaining chip. In a separate interview with Welker on Sunday, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky agreed that it is up to the president to offer Maxwell a pardon but said that “if she has information that could help us,” then “whatever they need to do to compel that testimony, as long as it’s truthful, I would be in favor of.”