Ghislaine Maxwell ‘could seek presidential pardon from old friend Donald Trump’
Sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is considering seeking a pardon from her old friend – the current president of the United States.
Maxwell was jailed for 20 years in June 2022 for grooming and trafficking young girls for paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein and Maxwell were both friends of Donald Trump long before he entered the White House – and after he pardoned a swathe of prisoners when starting his second term as president, it’s thought Maxwell could ask him to set her free.
A source at the Florida prison where she is currently being held told The Mirror that the idea of seeking a pardon first came from a fellow inmate.
But it seems the idea has picked up support from Maxwell’s friends and family.
‘Given how many pardons Trump has issued in the weeks since being back in power, those in Ghislaine’s clique joked she should push for one,’ the source said.
‘They all know how close she once was to him. She tells people often enough.
‘But what started out as a tongue-in-cheek comment has gained momentum, and now friends on the outside are asking what has she to lose.
‘She has maintained loyalty to Trump not telling anyone about his friendship with her and Jeffrey. And we all know how he rewards people who are loyal to him.’
Maxwell was arrested during Trump’s first term as president, but she wasn’t actually convicted until Joe Biden took over the role.
When she was first arrested, Trump’s response raised eyebrows, saying during a White House briefing: ‘I just wish her well. I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they [Maxwell and Epstein] lived in Palm Beach.
‘But I wish her well, whatever it is.’
She was once a fixture in the same Palm Beach and New York elite circles as Trump, and the pair were frequently seen together at high-society events in the 1990s and 2000s.
As soon as Trump returned to the White House for his second term, he issued pardons or commuted sentences for more than 1,500 people jailed or accused of playing a part in the US Capitol riots.
He freed Ross Ulbricht, who founded the dark web drug market known as The Silk Road, as well as former Proud Boys leader Henry Enrique Tarrio who had been sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the January 6 riot.
Back in 2016 he freed his ex-adviser Steve Bannon, and Charles Kushner, his daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law.
Maxwell’s supporters claim her trial was unfair and she had been scapegoated for Epstein’s crimes. Epstein died in a prison cell under suspicious circumstances in 2019.
A source close to her legal team told the Mirror: ‘Ghislaine has always believed she was unfairly targeted.
‘There are people in her circle who think now is the perfect moment to push for clemency, given her long-standing ties to Trump.
‘Whether he will take action remains to be seen but they are certainly considering making her case behind the scenes. Ghislaine remains defiant that she is innocent.’
The US Attorney General said earlier this week the full Epstein flight logs will be released once the personal details of more than 250 victims have been removed, adding that the logs will ‘make you sick’.
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