After the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Jeffrey Epstein’s right-hand woman, Ghislaine Epstein, Trump told a reporter he would ‘take a look at it’.
Lawyers for British socialite Maxwell argued that she never should have been tried or convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, a New York financier. Her appeal was rejected.
She is serving a 20-year prison term, though she was moved from a low-security federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after she was interviewed in July by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
When asked by reporters in the White House about Maxwell’s appeal and a potential pardon, Trump replied: ‘I haven’t heard the name in so long. I can say this – I’d have to take a look at it… I will speak to the Department of Justice.
‘I wouldn’t consider it or not consider it, I don’t know anything about it.
‘I have a lot of people who have asked me for pardons… I didn’t know she was even asking for it, frankly.’
Trump then appeared to reference Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ request for a pardon, adding, ‘I call him Puff Daddy. He’s asked me for a pardon.
Combs was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday, after he was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
In July, it was reported that Trump was considering a pardon for Combs. In a later interview with Newsmax, Trump was asked about pardoning Combs and said, ‘Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half innocent.
‘Probably. I was very friendly with him, but when I ran for office, he was very hostile, and it’s hard. So, I don’t know, it’s more difficult.’
Trump has already pardoned numerous criminals, notably those involved with the January 6, 2021, insurrection on the Capitol.
He commuted the sentences of 14 people involved, including members of the Proud Boys, a far-right fascist militant organisation.
Trump has been facing mounting pressure to release all of the Epstein files, as rumours about his connection to the disgraced financier continue.
In July, Trump was reportedly told by his administration that his name appears in the Jeffrey Epstein files multiple times.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in a White House meeting in May that his name is in the Justice Department documents on the late sex offender, senior administration officials told The Wall Street Journal.
Trump learned that the ‘files contained what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialised with Epstein in the past’, according to the report.
‘Many other high-profile figures were also named.’
An administration official quickly shot down the report.
‘This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media,’ said White House spokesman Steven Cheung in an email.
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