g hislaine maxwell is drawing renewed attention after her attorney said he believes President Donald Trump could eventually pardon her, even as he stressed that no pardon effort is underway now. David Oscar Markus said Friday that Maxwell wants clemency, but that this is not the right moment because scrutiny tied to Jeffrey Epstein and the government’s Epstein files remains intense.
Markus told Politico that he has not spoken with the Trump administration about seeking a pardon or commutation. He said Trump has not signaled that he is considering one, even though Maxwell’s side remains optimistic about what could happen later.
The comments add another layer to a case that has stayed in public view since Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein’s alleged abuse. The latest remarks also come as Maxwell’s separate court petition seeking to throw out or amend her sentence remains pending.
Attorney says no pardon push is underway
Markus said he is not in “full court press” mode on clemency and does not think now is the best time to press the issue. He said the Epstein matter is still too prominent, making any immediate pardon effort politically and publicly difficult.
Still, the attorney said he remains hopeful. He told Politico, “There’s a good chance and for good reason that she would get a pardon. ” That statement placed ghislaine maxwell back at the center of a debate that has moved between legal strategy and political calculation.
Markus also said Maxwell has previously indicated she would testify to Congress about Epstein only if granted clemency. That stance underscores how closely her legal position and any possible pardon discussion remain linked.
Trump’s position remains cautious
Trump has not committed either way on pardoning Maxwell. He said in October he would “look at” the possibility after the Supreme Court rejected her case, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that, when she last spoke to him about it, “He said it’s not something he’s considering or thinking about. ”
Trump also said in July that he had not thought about pardoning Maxwell, and later said in October that he would have to “take a look at her case. ” The public record in the context leaves the matter open, with no clear signal that a decision is near.
Prison transfer questions continue
Markus also addressed Maxwell’s transfer last year to a low-security prison in Texas, a move that drew widespread controversy. The transfer came shortly after she met with the Justice Department about Epstein and broadly exonerated Trump of wrongdoing, which fueled speculation about why she was moved.
Markus denied that the transfer was a quid pro quo. He said it was tied instead to safety concerns after the DOJ meeting and to threats directed at Maxwell. “She was being threatened after the meeting — the prison itself raised concerns that they were really concerned about her safety, ” he said. “The question was where can we get her that was safe. ”
The next developments will likely turn on two tracks: whether scrutiny over the Epstein files eases enough for clemency talk to become more direct, and whether Maxwell’s pending court filing changes the legal picture. For now, ghislaine maxwell remains in a narrow but highly watched space between an unresolved appeal process and the possibility of presidential action.
