President Donald Trump considered pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell out of fear she might reveal damaging details about his long friendship with child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to journalist and author Michael Wolff.
Speaking on the Daily Beast Podcast, Wolff described Trump and Epstein as "joined at the hip for a good 15 years," saying the two shared girlfriends, social circles, and private planes during their years as wealthy Palm Beach neighbors.
After Maxwell was arrested in 2020 on charges of helping Epstein run a sex-trafficking ring, Trump reportedly grew "very wary," asking his advisers, "What could she say—what would she say?" Wolff said.
While the idea of pardoning Maxwell was floated, Trump's inner circle warned it would create massive political backlash. According to Wolff, "Everybody around him was kind of like, 'God, we hope she won't say anything, but we really hope he doesn't pardon her.'"
Ultimately, Trump didn't act, though he later told reporters, "I just wish her well, frankly."
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and other charges and is now serving a 20-year sentence.
In response to Wolff's claims, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung dismissed the author as "a lying sack of sh--," accusing him of fabricating stories out of "Trump Derangement Syndrome."
A leaked Justice Department memo released Sunday indicated the Trump administration effectively closed its investigation into Epstein's alleged network, concluding Epstein did not keep a secret "client list" and was not murdered in jail.
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