White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the White House hasn’t considered a potential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted human-trafficker and close associate of deceased sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
“This is not something I’ve discussed recently with the president because, frankly, it’s not a priority,” Ms. Leavitt said at the White House press briefing. “He’s focused on many of the issues that the American people are dealing with and providing solutions to those issues.”
When asked about the last time she spoke with Mr. Trump about Maxwell, Ms. Leavitt said a pardon was “not something he’s considering or thinking about.”
The questions about a potential pardon for Maxwell come one day after she asserted her Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions during a House Oversight Committee deposition on Monday.
She has previously said that she would testify under oath if she was given criminal immunity and, if not, she would assert her right to remain silent.
Maxwell’s attorney said in a social media post Monday that she was looking for a pardon.
He added that “only she can provide the complete account” of what happened, adding that “both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing.”
“She must remain silent because Ms. Maxwell has a habeas petition currently pending that demonstrates that her conviction rests on a fundamentally unfair trial,” he wrote in a statement on X.
“If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path. Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” the statement continued.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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