Could Ghislaine Maxwell be pardoned by Donald Trump?
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Donald Trump wants everyone to stop talking about the Epstein files – but is Ghislaine Maxwell, the sex-trafficker’s accomplice, key to this? Could she be pardoned in exchange for saying the president was never involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s illegal activity?
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In brief
- Donald Trump says he has no knowledge of the Department of Justice’s plans to interview convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, but The News Agents don’t believe a word of it.
- The president has angered MAGA supporters and Republican members of Congress by saying incriminating evidence against his former friend are fictional, despite previously promising to release them to the public.
- Experts suggest Maxwell may be seeking to strike a deal with the government for her freedom.
What’s the story?
In 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child sex trafficking and other offences in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2024, as Donald Trump does everything he can to make people forget he ever promised to make ‘the Epstein files’ public, the Department of Justice is now set to interview Maxwell once again.
Trump had a long-running friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and attended parties with the disgraced paedophile financier. The president is suing the Wall Street Journal for claims that the president once sent Epstein an explicit and suggestive birthday card, referencing "secrets", which he denies.
The president recently told the media he had no knowledge of the intended interview, but The News Agents say there isn't a "cat's chance in hell" that he wasn't involved in setting it up.
“It could be as early as next week, in which case, what do they want to hear from her that she hasn't already said?” says Emily Maitlis.
Jon Sopel suggests Maxwell could, as the only person serving time for Epstein's crimes, try to secure a "sweetheart deal" in order to secure her release, or at least a reduction on her sentence for helping procure young women for Epstein.
He says the goal of the US department of justice may be to get Maxwell to state Trump had no involvement in any of Epstein's illegal activity in exchange for her freedom.
During Trump’s election campaign, and as recently as 2025, the president was promising to reveal full details of Epstein’s activities, but in recent weeks has said they do not exist and there is no list of collaborators.
During Maxwell’s prosecution, she denied there was a sex trafficking ring or any criminal conspiracy involving other high-profile sex offenders who benefitted from her activities.
Could Donald Trump free Ghislaine Maxwell?
Trump, Maxwell and Epstein
Trump has never had a bad word to say about his former friend Ghislaine Maxwell, even saying he “wished her well” after entering her guilty plea on child sex trafficking charges.
This comes in stark contrast to the calls for his political opponents who he frequently calls to be sent to prison.
“Donald Trump's default position is not natural generosity, and yet, with Ghislaine Maxwell, there was this extraordinary generosity of spirit towards her,” says Jon.
“Trump used to hang out with Epstein and Melania and Ghislaine, and they would go out together.
“Ghislaine is a lynchpin figure in all of this.”
What do the experts say?
New York criminal defence lawyer Randy Zelin tells The News Agents Ghislaine Maxwell wants one simple thing from any involvement with the DoJ.
"She wants to go home. Does she really care how she gets there? Probably not," he says.
"A judge has the opportunity to re-sentence a prisoner when they have provided what we call substantial assistance to the Government – in other words, that person becomes a cooperator."
He says if Maxwell offers information that leads to other prosecutions, she could have her sentence overturned, or commuted in order to secure her freedom.
US journalist Will Sommer says the big worry for Trump and his team is what is contained in the Epstein files about the president – even if it’s not criminal activity.
"There might be a lot of embarrassing stuff, and I think there might be a lot of stuff that says Donald Trump is a creep," Sommer tells The News Agents.
"We've got him on video talking about sexually assaulting women. So it's amazing that the debate is not settled already."
"Clearly the administration is concerned about what's in the files."
That concern was highlighted this week when House speaker Mike Johnson shut down Congress a day early to prevent a vote being held, called by a Republican congressman, on making all evidence on Epstein public.
Can Trump put out the fire he started?
Jon says the major problem Trump now faces is – having been the one to start the fire under the Epstein files – he now finds himself trying to put out the flames.
But if Maxwell does now claim that Trump had no involvement in Epstein's crimes, he doubts many Americans will believe it – even the MAGA supporters.
Even staunch Trump supporters such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have continued their calls for full details to be released, despite the president and administration’s insistence that they do not exist.
“You can't simultaneously be the arsonist and the fire chief, because that seems to be what Donald Trump is doing at the moment,” Jon adds.
Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents.
