Trump won't discuss potential Maxwell pardon 'right now'

President Trump was noncommittal when asked Monday about a potential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, saying he has the power to do it but no one has asked about it.

“I am allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody’s approached me with it. Nobody’s asked me about it,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s in the news about that aspect of it. But right now it would be inappropriate to talk about it.”

Maxwell is currently in a federal prison in Florida serving a 20-year sentence after she was convicted of sex trafficking and conspiracy in 2021 for crimes she committed with deceased sex offender Epstein, who was her lover.

She is appealing both her conviction and sentence.

Maxwell last week sat for interviews with Justice Department officials and reportedly answered questions about nearly 100 people allegedly connected to Epstein. Some legal experts have suggested that Mr. Trump could float a pardon for her in exchange for her cooperation on the allegations that Epstein was trafficking underage girls for sex with high-powered individuals.

Maxwell’s attorneys said Friday that they had not spoken with Mr. Trump or anyone at the White House about a potential pardon.

“The president this morning said he has the power to do so,” Maxwell’s attorney David Markus said Friday. “We hope he exercises that power in a right and just way.”

“We haven’t asked for anything. This is not a situation where we are asking for anything in return for testimony or anything like that,” Mr. Markus said. “Of course, everybody knows Ms. Maxwell would welcome any relief.”

Also last week, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, subpoenaed Maxwell after the panel voted to compel her testimony.