President Donald Trump said Monday that he would need to "speak to the DOJ [Department of Justice]" when asked about a potential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.
By Gabe Whisnant and Adeola Adeosun
Speaking during an Oval Office event focused on approving a new mining road in Alaska, Trump told reporters he hadn't "heard the name in so long" and would "take a look at it."
The exchange with CNN's Kaitlan Collins came after the Supreme Court rejected Maxwell's appeal to overturn her conviction earlier on Monday. When Collins pressed Trump on Maxwell's sex trafficking conviction, the president reiterated: "I'll have to take a look at it."
The Supreme Court decision, issued without comment on the first day of its new term, leaves Maxwell's conviction and sentence intact. Her legal team had argued that a 2007 non-prosecution agreement [NPA] negotiated by Epstein's attorneys should have shielded her from prosecution, but the DOJ maintained that Maxwell was never a party to that agreement.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Monday for comment.
What Did Ghislaine Maxwell Do?
Maxwell was convicted of multiple charges in 2021, including sex trafficking of a minor and transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Her crimes were connected to her relationship with Epstein, her former boyfriend, after she helped facilitate and enable his abuse of young women and girls over several decades.
The conviction followed a high-profile trial that detailed Maxwell's role in recruiting and grooming victims for Epstein. She is currently housed in a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after being transferred from a low-security federal prison in Florida following a July interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—Trump's former personal attorney—during which she was granted limited immunity and repeatedly denied witnessing any inappropriate interactions involving Trump.
When Did Jeffrey Epstein Die?
Epstein, 66, was found dead in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Epstein had described himself as Trump's best friend at one point, though the president has said their relationship ended years before Epstein's death.
Disgraced financier Epstein maintained social connections with numerous prominent public figures, including Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Neither has been accused of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein's crimes. The case has continued to generate public interest, with ongoing calls for the release of a purported client list, though the DOJ and FBI said earlier this year that no such list exists.
When Was Jeffrey Epstein Convicted?
Epstein was convicted in 2008 on charges related to soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida. The verdict resulted from a disputed 2007 NPA that allowed him to plead guilty to lesser state charges while avoiding federal prosecution—the same agreement Maxwell's attorneys unsuccessfully cited in her appeal.
What People Are Saying
David Oscar Markus, attorney for Maxwell, in comments to CNN on Monday: "We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case. But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done.”
Solicitor General D. John Sauer, acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti and attorney Ethan A. Sachs, in a brief filed in July: "Petitioner was not a party to the relevant agreement; only Epstein and the Florida USAO [U.S. Attorney's Office] were parties to the NPA."
What Happens Next?
Maxwell remains imprisoned in Texas with no clear timeline for her legal team's next moves beyond their stated commitment to "pursue every avenue available."