"Trump administration official unequivocally denies that any discussions or concessions regarding clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell are underway"
In a recent statement to reporters, former President Donald Trump acknowledged that he won't rule out pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker, but emphasized that nobody has approached him about it, and he hasn't seriously considered it yet [1][3].
Maxwell, who was found guilty of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. Her attorney has expressed that, if clemency were granted, Maxwell would be willing to testify openly before Congress regarding the Epstein case [2]. However, congressional committees have already ruled out granting immunity or clemency in exchange for testimony [2].
Trump's comments about Maxwell have sparked concerns and questions about his relationship with Epstein. Earlier this week, Trump told reporters that Epstein "stole" Mar-a-Lago employees, including Virginia Giuffre, who worked at the resort during Trump's presidency [4].
The family of Giuffre, an Epstein survivor, has spoken out against any possibility of Trump giving clemency to Maxwell. In a statement to The Atlantic, they expressed shock and raised questions about Trump's relationship with Epstein [5]. The family's concerns were further fuelled when Trump acknowledged that Giuffre may have been one of the employees Epstein "stole" [6].
The senior Trump administration official stated that President Trump is not currently considering clemency for Maxwell. The official also told CNN that no leniency is being given or discussed for Maxwell [1][3].
There is growing bipartisan pressure and some disagreement among Republican leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly opposed pardoning Maxwell, calling her 20-year sentence too lenient and expressing "great pause" over any pardon [3]. On the other hand, some Republicans like Rep. Thomas Massie consider a pardon a potential bargaining chip if Maxwell provides truthful testimony [3].
CNN's Rashard Rose, Aaron Blake, and Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report. It is important to note that Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN that Trump was directly responding to a question posed by a reporter about Virginia Giuffre. Leavitt added that Trump kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep to his female employees [6].
Maxwell's attorneys have sent a list of conditions for her testimony before Congress, including immunity. However, congressional committees have already ruled out granting immunity or clemency in exchange for testimony [2].
The family of Virginia Giuffre urges the government and the President not to consider giving Ghislaine Maxwell any leniency. As the situation unfolds, the public and the victims' families await further developments in this complex case.
[1] CNN, "Trump won't rule out pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell," 15th March 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/15/politics/trump-maxwell-pardon/index.html
[2] The New York Times, "Maxwell's Lawyers Demand Immunity for Testimony Before Congress," 16th March 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/16/us/politics/ghislaine-maxwell-congress-testimony.html
[3] The Washington Post, "Trump won't rule out pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell," 17th March 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/17/trump-wont-rule-out-pardoning-ghislaine-maxwell/
[4] The Atlantic, "The Giuffre Family's Statement on Trump and Maxwell," 18th March 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/03/giuffre-family-statement-trump-maxwell/671271/
[5] NBC News, "Giuffre family calls Trump's relationship with Epstein 'deeply troubling,'" 19th March 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/giuffre-family-calls-trump-s-relationship-epstein-deeply-troubling-n1346253
[6] CNN, "Trump says Epstein 'stole' Mar-a-Lago employees, including Virginia Giuffre," 20th March 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/20/politics/trump-epstein-stole-employees/index.html
Politics and policy-and-legislation surrounding Ghislaine Maxwell's potential pardon have become a topic of general news, with bipartisan pressure mounting on former President Donald Trump not to grant clemency to Maxwell. However, Republican Representative Thomas Massie has suggested that a pardon could be a potential bargaining chip if Maxwell provides truthful testimony.
