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By Jason Lemon and Jenna Sundel
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President Donald Trump was asked again Monday about the possibility of pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, reiterating that he is "allowed" to do so.
Did Ghislaine Maxwell Get Pardoned?
Trump has not pardoned Maxwell, but he has commented on the possibility while speaking to the press.
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"Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon but nobody's approached me with it, nobody's asked me about it," Trump told reporters when asked about the possibility. "It's in the news about that—that aspect of it, but right now it would be inappropriate to talk about it," he said.
The remark echoed the president's Friday comments, when he told reporters: "It's something I haven't thought about...I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about."
Maxwell, a close associate of the late financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Can Donald Trump Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell?
The president is granted the power to issue pardons in Article II of the Constitution. A pardon wipes out a conviction and restores all rights of citizenship, including the right to vote.
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What Did Jeffrey Epstein Do?
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18 in Florida. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In 2019, Epstein was indicted federally on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Prosecutors alleged that Epstein "created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit."
Epstein was found dead in his cell at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019 while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide.
Will the Epstein Files Be Released?
Hundreds of pages of court documents that name people with ties to Epstein have already been made public. The names include victims of sex abuse, his employees and others with a passing connection to the scandal, and those individuals are not accused of any wrongdoing.
A "client list" belonging to Epstein has never been released. In a joint memo released by the Department of Justice and FBI earlier this month, the agencies stated their review revealed no "incriminating 'client list.'"
"It is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted," the agencies said.
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Update 7/28/25, 12:03 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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