Trump won't rule out pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell amid Epstein investigation
As he left the White House for a trip to Scotland, Trump dodged a reporter's question about whether he was considering cutting short Maxwell's 20-year prison sentence.
'I'm allowed to do it, but I really haven't thought about it,' Trump said, adding that he 'certainly can't talk about pardons now.'
Trump's remarks came as the No. 2 official at the Justice Department spent a second day meeting behind closed doors with Maxwell and her lawyer and the White House seeks to tamp down still-swirling outrage over the Epstein case.
Todd Blanche, who was Trump's personal lawyer before joining the administration, did not give any update on any information Maxwell may have shared.
Trump also sought to counter recent bombshell scoops revealing a chummy letter he wrote to Epstein for his birthday and other events when the pair were buddies in Palm Beach high society circles.
'Somebody could have written a letter and used my name,' Trump said. 'That's happened a lot.'
It's not clear why Blanche met with Maxwell or what the administration hopes to get her to reveal. It's highly unusual for such a high-ranking prosecutor to meet with a convicted criminal unless they are seeking information about other potential cases.
Maxwell, who also was friendly with Trump years ago, is imprisoned at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She was sentenced three years ago after being convicted of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
Officials have said Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019.
Trump himself and his MAGA base spent years calling for the release of any and all information about Epstein and his links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires.
But earlier this month, the Justice Department abruptly shifted course and said it would not release more files related to the Epstein investigation. Attorney General Pam Bondi also said an Epstein client list does not exist.
That flip-flop came a few weeks after Bondi reportedly told Trump in May that his name was among high-profile people mentioned in government files of Epstein, though the mention does not imply wrongdoing, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Trump also started denouncing the Epstein probe as a Democratic 'con job' and a 'hoax' and called on Americans to move on from the scandal.
In a rare break with their leader, MAGA loyalists and fellow Republicans have refused to drop their demands for more transparency.
Republican-led House committees have voted to subpoena files on the case and rebellious GOP lawmakers forced House Speaker Mike Johnson to adjourn the body early for its August break to avoid embarrassing votes on the matter.
Trump and congressional allies are hoping the outcry dies down by Labor Day, but some analysts say that strategy is unlikely to succeed.
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Judith Hannah Weiss freelanced for 25 years, writing print and broadcast promotion for New York, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue and other major media. In 2006, she was hit by a drunk driver, which put things on a long pause. Her post-accident work has appeared on NBC News and in The Washington Post, The Oldster, Iowa Review, The Rumpus, Dorothy Parker's Ashes, Memoir Monday and The Pulse. You can find her on Substack at and at This article originally appeared on HuffPost in April 2024. Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful:
