President Donald Trump could pardon sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell as early as this week, says Michael Wolff, a biographer of the president who co-hosts the Inside Trump’s Head podcast.
Wolff believes the odds that Trump has already struck a deal with his one-time friend are “overwhelming.” However, he said the timing of such a deal being acted upon is less precise.
“I think a deal has been cut,” he told co-host Joanna Coles on Tuesday. “Totally [has]. When? How soon? By Thursday? Possibly. I mean, I’d say more conservatively we are out six months or so.”
Wolff, a prominent Trumpland insider, later said that he expects a Maxwell pardon to be signed by Trump in six to nine months. If that timeline holds up, it would be quite the pre-midterms bombshell for Republicans to have to justify on the campaign trail.
Maxwell, 63, currently has a release date of July 17, 2037, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Any hope she has of walking free before then—aged 75—would require a presidential pardon, as the Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider an appeal to overturn her conviction on federal sex trafficking charges.
The high court’s rejection renewed attention on the possibility of a pardon by Trump. His administration has appeared sympathetic to the sex offender, especially after she met with the DOJ’s No. 2 official, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in July.
Maxwell’s two-day meeting with Blanche was rewarded with her being transferred to a low-security prison camp in Texas—nicknamed “Club Fed” for its cushy amenities and jobs, like training service dogs—where those convicted of sex crimes, let alone those convicted of committing them against children, are barred by the BOP.
The precedent-breaking move, paired with Trump’s 180 on a campaign promise to declassify everything in the “Epstein files,” has him feeling the heat. He was pressed on the issue, which his own base is clamoring for transparency on, again on Monday.
CNN White House reporter Kaitlan Collins asked Trump if he would consider a pardon for Maxwell, a socialite he used to party with at Mar-a-Lago and elsewhere. Collins told Trump that action by him is Maxwell’s “only chance of getting out of prison.”
Wolff remarked on Tuesday’s show that Trump immediately put on his “Epstein face” when questioned by Collins—possibly to appear ignorant on an issue that is becoming increasingly toxic for him and his cabinet officials, like Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Trump, 79, responded to Collins by suggesting that he initially did not know who she was asking about. In the end, he left the door open to pardoning Maxwell.
“Who are we talking about?” Trump asked the reporter, suggesting he had not heard the name.
“Ghislaine Maxwell,” Collins clarified.
“You know, I haven’t heard the name in so long,” Trump responded, pretending as if there has not been a near-constant stream of criticism—and questions—regarding Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump continued, “I can say this‚ that I’d have to take a look at [pardoning Maxwell]. I would have to take a look.”
Coles theorized that Trump is only considering a pardon for Maxwell because she has some serious dirt on him.
“She’s now thinking about all the things she’s got on him,” Coles told Wolff.
After the author responded that a pardon could be imminent, Coles added, “That’s just astonishing.”
An attorney for Maxwell did not respond to a request for comment.
Reached by email, the White House copied and pasted a statement it had previously sent to the Daily Beast, saying, “Michael Wolff is a lying sack of s–t and has been proven to be a fraud. He routinely fabricates stories originating from his sick and warped imagination, only possible because he has a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain.” It did not respond to questions about whether Trump is considering a pardon for Maxwell.
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