Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is preparing a commutation application to be considered by the Trump administration, according to a new document obtained by House Judiciary Committee Democrats.
If approved by President Donald Trump, Maxwell's sentence – 20 years for her role in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme – could be significantly reduced. In an apparent message to her lawyer Leah Safian, relayed to Judicial Democrats by an unidentified informant, she wrote that she would send the application materials through the prison warden.
“I'm struggling to keep it all together since it's big and there's so much going on,” she wrote in a very brief message with the subject line “RE: Switching App.”
She added: “Others will be replaced by new ones… hopefully it will all make sense.”
Supreme Court has already rejected Maxwell's appeal That means a Trump pardon may be the only obvious way for her to avoid a years-long sentence. The President did not rule out the possibility of her pardon.
Even years after Epstein's apparent suicide behind bars in 2019, the case has become a political quagmire for the GOP given Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier (Trump has said the two had a falling out years ago).
Democrats, meanwhile, have sought to fuel division among Trump's base by arguing that his administration has broken its promise of transparency in the matter.
In July, Maxwell gave a lengthy two-day interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in which she praised the president and said she had never seen him in an inappropriate environment. She also claimed that “never, never” [seen] any man does something inappropriate to a woman of any age” during the interview, even though ample evidence supports her role in Epstein's schemes.
Shortly thereafter Maxwell was transferred from a maximum security prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas. Democrats say she has received special treatment since she began cooperating with the administration's reopening of the case.
In a letter to Trump, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, also pointed to additional information provided to his office, suggesting that “Maxwell's food was customized and prepared by staff at federal prison camps.” Additionally, the information suggested that Maxwell's guests could bring computers with them, and the warden helped arrange Maxwell's visits, which included “snacks and refreshments for her guests.”
According to the whistleblower, Maxwell was also given special time to play with a service dog during training.
“You should not show clemency to this convicted and unrepentant sex offender,” Raskin wrote in a letter to Trump. “Your administration should not provide her with room service, give her puppies to play with, provide federal law enforcement officers with everything she needs, or give her any special treatment or institutional privileges at all.”
Raskin asked Blanche, who interviewed Maxwell, to attend the committee's public hearing. Democrats, currently in the minority, do not have the power to subpoena witnesses or hold formal hearings.
In the letter, Raskin also asked Trump whether he had previously discussed a potential replacement with his staff and whether he had mandated special treatment for Maxwell.
