President Trump on Monday did not rule out a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, saying he’d look at the case after the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of her sentence.
The Supreme Court’s rejection of Maxwell’s appeal leaves a pardon from Mr. Trump as her only option for getting out of prison before her 20-year sentence ends in 2042.
When asked about a possible pardon, Mr. Trump feigned surprise.
“I haven’t heard the name in so long,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I’d have to take a look at it. … I will speak to the DOJ. I wouldn’t consider it or not consider it. I don’t know anything about it, but I will speak to the DOJ.”
Democrats, Republicans and supporters of Mr. Trump have demanded more transparency in the Epstein case. The House Oversight Committee last month released tens of thousands of pages of records from its Epstein case, including a note bearing Mr. Trump’s name that was included in a collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied writing the letter to Epstein, who died under mysterious circumstances while awaiting sex trafficking charges in a Manhattan jail in 2019. Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide.
Maxwell asked the Supreme Court to vacate her sentence, arguing that she should have been shielded from prosecution under a plea deal Epstein had struck with federal authorities. She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2022 after she was convicted of plotting with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls.
In the appeal, Maxwell says she was also protected by a non-prosecution agreement that Epstein reached as part of his plea agreement to plead guilty to charges of soliciting an underage prostitute in Florida.
She was later charged by prosecutors in New York.
In a statement, Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said he was “deeply disappointed” in the Supreme Court decision, but “this fight isn’t over.”
“We will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done.” Mr. Markus said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.