Trump has no clear answer on Ghislaine Maxwell pardon but reveals Diddy asked for one too

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump sidestepped a question about whether he would consider pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of s*x trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Instead, Trump noted that he receives numerous clemency requests, even referencing rapper Sean 'P Diddy' Combs, who was recently sentenced on prostitution-related charges. 

Trump dodges question on pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell 

President Donald Trump avoided giving a direct answer when asked whether he would consider pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump told reporters he would need to consult the Department of Justice (DOJ) first. “I will speak to the DOJ. I wouldn’t consider it or not consider — I don’t know anything about it,” he said, responding to the Supreme Court’s decision to deny Maxwell’s appeal.

Trump then shifted the conversation, noting that many people request pardons, mentioning rapper Sean 'P Diddy' Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy, who was recently sentenced to over four years. “I call him ‘Puff Daddy.’ He’s asked me for a pardon,” Trump added. 

When pressed about Maxwell’s conviction for child s*x trafficking, Trump reiterated, “Yeah, I mean, I’m going to have to take a look at it. I’d have to ask DOJ.”

Maxwell knew Trump socially during the years he was friends with her former boyfriend, Epstein, in the 1990s and early 2000s. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, according to the Justice Department.

Meanwhile, members of Congress have called for more records related to Epstein’s powerful connections, including former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Bill Gates. This push came after a July memo from the DOJ stated that no additional disclosures were necessary. 

Ghislaine Maxwell weighs in on her past interactions with Trump

In July, Ghislaine Maxwell participated in a two-day interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in Tallahassee, Florida, on July 24 and 25.

During the interview, Maxwell spoke about her past interactions with Trump, insisting, “I actually never saw the president in any type of massage setting. I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way. The president was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects."

She made the comment while speaking to Blanche, who had previously served as Trump’s defense attorney. The conversations focused on her connections to Epstein and his high-profile associates. Maxwell talked about the social relationship between Trump and Epstein: “The president was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects. I certainly saw them together, and I remember the few times I observed them together, but they were friendly. I mean, they seemed friendly.”

She continued, “I think they were friendly, like people are in social settings. I don’t … I don’t think they were close friends, or I certainly never witnessed the president in any of … I don’t recall ever seeing him in his house, for instance… in any private settings.”

She also recalled meeting Trump in the 1990s: “Well, I just want to say for my relationship with President Trump — relationship's a big word — but I just want to say that I met him or I believe I may have, because of my father, in the '90s.”

She quipped, “And I just want to say that I find … I admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now. And I like him, and I've always liked him. So, that is the sum and substance of my entire relationship with him.”