Recommendations of the Editorial team
Donald Trump does not seem to be able to rule out a possible pardon of the convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell. At the request of reporters on Monday (July 28th), he said: “I can give her a pardon”, but added that no one had asked him about it so far.
“Well, I can give her a pardon,” said Trump at the meeting with the British Prime Minister Keir Strander in Scotland. “But nobody approached me. Nobody asked me about it. It is in the news, this aspect.”
“At the moment it would be inappropriate to talk about it,” he said before he went over to the next question.
Ministry of Justice determined-Maga base dissatisfied
Last week the US Justice Ministry met with Maxwell. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence for human trafficking and further charges in connection with the Epstein abuse network. The aim was to determine if she had information about other perpetrators. This measure is considered an attempt by the Trump government to appease the Maga base, which is outraged by the evidence of the back in the Epstein case.
Trump already gave a similar answer on Friday at a press conference in the White House: “I can do it, but I haven’t thought about it yet.”
“I was never on Epstein’s island”: Trump defends himself
Trump also explained on Monday that he had never had the “privilege” of traveling to Epstein’s private island Little Saint James. There, the convicted human dealer who died in prison in 2019 allegedly invited wealthy acquaintances to sex parties with underage girls.
“Many people in Palm Beach were invited,” said Trump. “I rejected in one of my better moments. I didn’t want to go to his island.”
The President claimed that the break with Epstein was not because of his pedophile tendencies, but because Epstein had recruited personnel from him. “I haven’t spoken to Jeffrey Epstein for years. He did something inappropriate: he hired employees and I said: Never do it again. He stole people,” said Trump. “I said, ‘Never do that again.’ He did it again – so I got it out [Mar-a-Lago] thrown, persona non grata. “
Criticism of victims of abuse and republicans
The consideration of a pardon alone has triggered violent reactions-both from survivors of Epstein abuse and republican politicians.
“She not only procured the girls for Epstein, she actively participated in the abuse. This is important to understand,” said Annie Farmer, a victim, on Saturday in an interview with ABC News. Maxwell’s release would be “devastating”, not only for them, but “for many affected people in this case”.
Teresa Helm, another affected, also commented on MSNBC: A pardon would “destroy the complete confidence in this judicial system – a system that should primarily stand for the protection of the victims”.
Criticism from the House of Representatives
On Friday, House speaker Mike Johnson told NBC News that it was Trump’s decision who he was pardoning. But Maxwell’s punishment of 20 years is “a joke. She should have received at least life.”
He added: “It’s not my decision, but I have great concerns how everyone would have a reasonable person.” The president still seems to keep his options open.