Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorney said she isn’t pushing for a presidential pardon while associate Jeffrey Epstein remains a major news story, Politico reported Friday, but the lawyer is optimistic that President Donald Trump will eventually pardon her—though the president hasn’t given any indication that he will.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 12, 2000.
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Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus told Politico that he hasn’t yet spoken to the Trump administration about trying to secure a pardon or commutation for Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein’s alleged abuse.
Maxwell “obviously wants clemency,” Markus said, but argued this was not the ideal time to seek a pardon, as Epstein’s alleged abuse and the government’s Epstein files remain a major news story.
“I don’t think now is the best time to do it, with everything going on,” the attorney told Politico, noting he was not at “full court press” trying to advocate for clemency—though he and Maxwell have previously publicly angled for a pardon, saying she will testify to Congress about Epstein only if granted clemency.
Markus said he’s hopeful Trump will eventually pardon Maxwell, claiming, “There’s a good chance and for good reason that she would get a pardon.”
Trump has not committed either way on whether or not he’ll pardon Maxwell, though he said in October he would “look at” pardoning her after the Supreme Court rejected her case.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been more explicit, saying in February that the last time she spoke to the president about the potential pardon, “He said it’s not something he’s considering or thinking about.”
It’s unclear when scrutiny over the Epstein files could blow over enough for Maxwell to push more strenuously for a pardon, and whether Trump would ever grant one. After the Supreme Court rejected her appeal of her conviction, Maxwell also filed a new court petition asking for her sentence to be thrown out or amended, claiming there’s “substantial new evidence” indicating she didn’t receive a fair trial. That request is still pending.
Trump has been cagey about pardoning Maxwell as interest in her case has gone up. “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about,” Trump said in July when asked about whether he’d pardon Maxwell, later saying in October he’d have to “take a look at her case” after it was rejected by the Supreme Court. “I wouldn’t consider it or not consider it—I don’t know anything about it,” the president said at the time. Trump was known to have been friendly with Maxwell in the 1980s and 1990s, when the president was friends with Epstein, and Maxwell told the Justice Department last year the now-president was “always very cordial and very kind to me.”
Markus also spoke with Politico about Maxwell being transferred to a low-security prison in Texas last year, as the move has drawn widespread controversy. It came shortly after she spoke with the Justice Department about Epstein and broadly exonerated Trump of any wrongdoing, raising speculation she was moved to the cushier facility in exchange for her flattering testimony. Markus denied that the prison transfer was a quid pro quo, and was instead a result of Maxwell facing threats to her safety in light of speaking with the DOJ. “She was being threatened after the meeting — the prison itself raised concerns that they were really concerned about her safety,” Markus told Politico. “The question was where can we get her that was safe.”
Maxwell is known to have been Epstein’s closest associate as the financier allegedly sexually assaulted hundreds of women, many of whom were underage. She was convicted on sex trafficking charges for her work with Epstein, as victims testified she helped recruit women for him and took part in the victims’ alleged abuse. She pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and has denied wrongdoing. Interest in Epstein—and Maxwell by extension—surged last year after the DOJ announced it would not release any further Epstein files voluntarily, sparking widespread pushback and ultimately leading Congress to pass legislation forcing the files’ release.
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