Why Trump is floating a pardon for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of five criminal counts in a 2021 jury trial. In a 2022 sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said the evidence presented at trial showed that Maxwell "played an instrumental role in the horrific sexual abuse of multiple young teenage girls." Specifically, as "part of a disturbing agreement with Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell identified, groomed, and abused multiple victims, while she enjoyed a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege." Prosecutors described Maxwell's crimes, which occurred over more than a decade, as "monstrous."
A federal judge sentenced Maxwell to 20 years behind bars, highlighting her "direct and repeated participation in a horrific scheme.”
Notably, President Trump, who is under scrutiny for his relationship with Epstein, has absolutely nothing negative to say about Maxwell. Last week, Trump dispatched Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general who previously served as Trump's personal attorney, to interview Maxwell.
Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out pardoning Maxwell. On Friday, when asked if he was considering pardoning Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation, Trump first said, "I don’t want to talk about that." Asked again, Trump noted that he was "allowed to do it." Later, Trump said that he "can't talk about pardons" because of Blanche's ongoing interviews with Maxwell. On Saturday, after landing in Scotland, Trump told reporters it was "no time to be talking about pardons." On Monday, again asked if he would pardon Maxwell, Trump said he was "allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody has approached me with it."
Trump's comments are striking in light of Maxwell's appalling crimes. Nevertheless, Trump has a personal interest in leading Maxwell to believe that a pardon is a possibility, regardless of whether he ever intends to grant her one.
Maxwell's crimes
Maxwell trafficked numerous underage girls to be sexually abused and raped by Epstein. According to the sentencing memorandum, Maxwell targeted "vulnerable girls, typically from single-mother households and difficult financial circumstances." Prosecutors focused on six girls to prove their case against Maxwell, but the total number of victims is much higher.
Maxwell also abused the girls herself. According to the sentencing memorandum, Maxwell sexually assaulted girls as young as 14, both as part of the grooming process and alongside Epstein. Maxwell eventually created a network where underage victims were rewarded with cash to introduce her to new girls.
As these girls were abused over more than a decade, Maxwell enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle. She hopscotched between Epstein's luxury residences, "including his mansion on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, his villa in Palm Beach, his ranch in New Mexico, his apartment in Paris, and his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands." Epstein also bought Maxwell her own townhouse in New York City and "transferred a total of approximately $23 million to Maxwell during the timeframe of the conspiracy."
When the government's specific allegations first became public after Maxwell was charged in 2020, Trump offered an unusual response. "I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach," Trump said. "But I wish her well, whatever it is." Asked in a subsequent interview if it was appropriate to offer well wishes to a woman credibly accused of sexually trafficking underage girls, Trump was unmoved. "I do wish her well. I’m not looking for anything bad for her," Trump said. "Her boyfriend died. He died in jail."
Maxwell's Trump card
Trump's well-documented relationship with Epstein has become a major political problem. The Trump administration reneged on its promise to release the Epstein files. Subsequently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump wrote a raunchy birthday message to Epstein in 2003. The message was, according to the report, "several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman." In the drawing, "[a] pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair." The text reportedly includes the line "Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?" It concludes, "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."
Trump recognized that the message was extremely damaging and declared it a fake. He then sued the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion.
The person who could speak with the most authority about the birthday book and the authenticity of the Trump letter is Maxwell. She created the book and solicited the messages from Epstein's friends. Maxwell knows whether the Trump letter, as described by the Wall Street Journal, is authentic. She may also have knowledge of other deleterious information about Trump.
Maxwell, who is 63, is also not scheduled to be released from prison until 2040. Although she has appealed her conviction to the Supreme Court, her best chance of gaining her freedom is for Trump to issue a pardon. By dangling the prospect of a pardon, Trump incentivizes Maxwell to do anything and everything to gain Trump's favor. Maxwell's attorney, David Markus, is already pushing for a Trump pardon. "We haven’t spoken to the president or anyone about a pardon just yet," Markus said on Saturday. "She would welcome any relief."
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell "to appear for a closed-door deposition" in Florida on August 11. Maxwell is still deciding whether to comply with the subpoena, fight it in court, or plead the Fifth. But if she does end up talking to the committee, Trump has incentivized Maxwell not to share any information that might be damaging to him.
According to prosecutors, Maxwell has shown a willingness to lie. She was initially charged with two counts of perjury as part of the case against her. (Those counts were dropped from the initial trial, and prosecutors opted not to pursue them in another proceeding to avoid re-traumatizing the victims.) In the sentencing memo, prosecutors allege that Maxwell demonstrated a "significant pattern of dishonest conduct" and "facts shift when it serves [Maxwell's] interests."
Will Trump actually pardon Maxwell? No one knows. But Trump very clearly wants Maxwell to think that she might receive a pardon.
There is even more to Trump’s relationship with Maxwell. Maxwell was good friends with Melania and it was through Maxwell that Trump met Melania. In an ethical administration (ha!) Trump would be recused from anything to do with Maxwell or Epstein, and in a functioning Congress the House and Senate would be aggressively digging into this.
A Maxwell pardon can almost guarantee that hundreds of victims will come forward, sue the shit out of her, and release every dirty detail that exists about Trump and the other animals that raped these children.