President Donald Trump opened the door to pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, telling reporters it is something he is “allowed to do”.
The ex-girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, is being interviewed by Trump administration officials in prison for the second day in a row.
The president refused to rule out granting clemency to the disgraced British socialite in exchange for her testimony, telling reporters: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I haven’t thought about.”
The president ignored a follow up question asking if he would rule a pardon out.
Mr Trump was speaking as he prepared to board a flight to Scotland in a pre-planned trip that could not come at a better time for him, with questions over his relationship with Epstein continuing to dominate the news cycle.
Mr Trump called the Democrats “sick” for hammering him over his links to the late paedophile. He “never went to the island”, belonging to Epstein, Mr Trump added.
“People should focus on... the fact that (former US Treasury secretary) Larry Summers from Harvard, that Bill Clinton and lots of other friends of Jeffrey (Epstein) should be spoken about.”
Mr Summers through a spokesperson previously said he “deeply regrets being in contact with Epstein after his conviction”.
Mr Clinton has maintained that he cut off ties more than a decade before Epstein was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges, and did not know about the paedophile’s alleged crimes.
“They should speak about them, they don’t talk about them, they talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy.”
Asked about a lewd letter the Wall Street Journal reported was sent by Mr Trump to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, Mr Trump said: “I don’t even know what they’re talking about. Now, somebody could have written a letter and used my name.”
The letter and the Trump administration’s refusal to publish all of the files it holds on Epstein have created a political maelstrom in Washington.
Maxwell was jailed for bringing underage girls to Epstein and has been in a Tallahassee prison since 2022, when she was convicted.
Mr Trump’s former personal lawyer and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met Maxwell for six hours on Thursday with her lawyer saying that she answered every question. The pair are meeting again on Friday.
The president knew Epstein for decades and in 2002 told New York magazine he was a “terrific” guy before the two later fell out.
Mr Trump flew on Epstein’s plane, dubbed the “Lolita Express” several times and a 1992 video shows them seemingly ogling women together at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s estate in Florida.
The paedophile killed himself in prison in 2019.
In 2020 after Maxwell’s arrest Mr Trump was asked about her case during a White House press conference, responding: “I just wish her well, frankly.
“I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach,” referring to the Florida town where his Mar-a-Lago club is.
Alan Dershowitz, Epstein’s former lawyer has suggested that Maxwell will try to make a deal with the Trump administration for providing further information on Epstein and his accomplices.