Pardon me? Ghislaine Maxwell may seek a deal with Trump

Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein serving 20 years for sex trafficking and other related crimes, was last week moved to a minimum security prison.

So what? Maxwell has become central to a renewed controversy over Epstein that has torn apart Donald Trump’s base. Politicians on both sides want to know if she can answer unresolved questions about the convicted sex trafficker. This has prompted speculation about a presidential pardon in exchange for information, which could

• ease suggestions that there has been a cover-up; or
• raise further questions about Trump’s motives; and
• leave his Maga acolytes even more fiercely divided.

Mood in America. The White House has been criticised for not releasing the Epstein files, a cache of FBI documents about the financier, who died in 2019. A recent YouGov survey suggests 45 per cent of Americans believe, without evidence, that Trump was “involved in crimes allegedly committed” by Epstein. A large majority of respondents think the administration should release all documents related to the case.

On the one hand, granting Maxwell a pardon so she testifies could be seen as a commitment to untangling the Epstein conspiracy. This may ease the pressure on Trump, a former friend of the billionaire. Benny Johnson, an influential right-wing podcaster, says that Maxwell testifying is “what transparency looks like”.

On the other hand, it could look like a reputation-saving deal given that the attorney general Pam Bondi has reportedly told Trump his name appears multiple times in the files. Democrats have claimed that the president may grant Maxwell a pardon if she exonerates him.

Keep them guessing. Trump has denied a pardon is in the works, but not ruled it out. When asked last month, he said: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I haven’t thought about.”

Remember the survivors. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of recruiting multiple teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse. Prosecutors said that she participated in the abuse of three victims, and described her as “key to the entire operation of the scheme”. They also said that Maxwell had “lied repeatedly about her crimes”.

The base. Some of Trump’s allies and supporters are keen on a deal with Maxwell. Having previously cast her as a predator, they suggest she could be a victim of judicial overreach.

Get out of jail free. Maxwell has long denied any involvement in Epstein’s operation and is keen to be pardoned or have her sentence commuted. In recent weeks she has

• offered to testify before Congress, but only in return for clemency;
• petitioned the US Supreme Court to consider an appeal; and
• met with the deputy attorney general Todd Blanche.

Inside the room. Blanche’s meeting with Maxwell lasted nine hours and was spread over two days. Maxwell’s lawyer said she answered questions “about 100 different people”, but it is not known if she talked about any alleged associates of Epstein.

New digs. Last Friday, a week after the meeting, Maxwell was moved from a low-security prison in Florida to a federal prison camp in Texas. This is a less restrictive facility which

• offers inmates a range of recreational activities, such as playing with puppies being trained as service dogs;
• mostly houses white collar and petty offenders, including celebrity felons; and
• is set across a leafy 37-acre site with no perimeter fence.

More questions. It is not clear why Maxwell was quietly transferred to a different jail, which like the meeting with Blanche is highly unusual. US prison regulations state that sex offenders must “be housed in at least a low security level institution”. Two of Epstein’s accusers, along with the family of the late Virginia Giuffre, said that the move “smacks of a cover-up”.

What’s more… If Trump does grant clemency to Maxwell, it would not be without precedent. In recent months he has done the same for scores of people including January 6 rioters and the New York City mayor Eric Adams. But this would perhaps be his most controversial pardon yet.