Can Trump release the mastermind of the Epstein network from prison?

The hypothesis has begun to gain traction in recent days. Could the US President pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, the woman considered the mastermind behind Jeffrey Epstein's pedophilia ring? The British socialite was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime of sex trafficking of minors, proving that she was responsible for grooming and recruiting young women who were then sexually abused. Now, Ghislaine could be a lifeline for Donald Trump and has already been transferred to a prison with better conditions.

When asked directly, Donald Trump did not deny that he could grant a pardon to the disgraced socialite , with whom he reportedly maintained a close relationship in the 1990s. "I can do that, but no one has approached me, no one has asked me about it," said the US head of state, preferring to point out only that it is "inappropriate" to speak about this topic at this time. Still, the lawyers representing Ghislaine Maxwell welcome this possibility: "We hope she uses her power fairly and correctly."

Considered one of the most hated criminals in the United States due to the scale of the case and the victims' accounts, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was also Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend, was recently subpoenaed to testify before the U.S. Congress to provide clarification on the matter. In response, the British woman's lawyers made a series of demands, including immunity, meaning that her testimony could not be used against her in future investigations, also protecting herself from potential prosecution resulting from her statements.

Ghislaine Maxwell's request was rejected. In any case, in the letter they sent to congressmen, her lawyers mentioned the possibility of obtaining a presidential pardon . If she were pardoned and released from prison, she would be "willing to testify openly and honestly in public before Congress" in order to "share the truth and dispel the misrepresentations and misrepresentations that have plagued this case from the beginning."

The socialite's defense team is exploring the possibility of freeing her from prison, where she still has several years left on her sentence. And within the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, founded by Donald Trump, the idea is beginning to circulate. The pardon is still not well-received by much of Trump's electoral base , but it is being welcomed. Can Ghislaine Maxwell really be released from prison, even after being convicted? And who would benefit from it?

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump and his allies made a promise : they would release the files related to the Epstein case. The possibility of the documents being made public was applauded by MAGA members, who adopt anti-establishment and anti-East Coast elite positions.

????BREAKING: A video is going viral showing JD Vance calling for the full Epstein list to be released – on Theo Von's podcast. Hey JD, what changed?

Let's blast this everywhere before he tries to erase it. pic.twitter.com/ZJZt56uejx

— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) July 15, 2025

The promise was not kept . Trump administration Attorney General Pam Bondi did release some documents, but they didn't reveal anything new. Trump's electoral base was starting to lose patience, but the issue wasn't on the agenda. It was Tesla and X owner Elon Musk who dropped the bombshell: in a bitter exchange of messages on social media that occurred when he became angry with Donald Trump, the mogul posted (since deleted) asserting that the President's name was on the "Epstein list." "That's why it wasn't released," Musk assured.

The head of state denied his former ally's accusations. However, the issue began to be discussed on social media, particularly by Donald Trump supporters. It gained even more prominence when the Department of Justice confirmed that, after all, there was no list of Epstein's clients , something Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance had assured them existed during the campaign and in the months that followed. Trump supporters began to suspect that the White House might be hiding something.

The Wall Street Journal also revealed a birthday letter written by Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, which demonstrated the close relationship between the two men. Additionally, the same newspaper reported that Pam Bondi had informed the US President in May of this year that her name was indeed mentioned in the Epstein files , although this did not indicate any crime.

Awkward questions began to surface. Criticism of the President from the MAGA movement rained down on social media. Donald Trump has denied all the accusations against him, but the issue continues to recede from the media spotlight, overshadowing the successful passage of the Big and Beautiful Bill. Under intense public scrutiny, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche decided to summon Ghislaine Maxwell for further interviews last week.

What might Todd Blanche have discussed with the socialite? For now, there are few clues. In the statement released, the attorney general's office explained that, "in light of the FBI's recent review of files," it became necessary to question Ghislaine Maxwell about whether she had new information "regarding someone who had committed crimes against the victims." "The FBI and the Department of Justice will listen to what she has to say."

After the conversations—which took place under conditional immunity—one of the socialite's lawyers , David Markus, assured that his client "answered all the questions." The lawyer also admitted that the woman was questioned about "about a hundred different people": "She didn't leave anything to say."

It's not yet clear what the legal purpose of these new talks would be. For Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, there was no doubt: the deputy attorney general and former Donald Trump lawyer was proposing a presidential pardon in exchange for testimony that would "absolve" the US president. "It smacks of corruption and a conflict of interest," he warned.

Let me be clear: Trump sending his personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell stinks of high corruption and conflict of interest. pic.twitter.com/JsuufR1Hl1

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 24, 2025

This Friday, in what may have been a concession to the socialite's lawyers, it was announced that Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred from the Florida prison to another in Bryan, Texas. This prison offers better conditions than the previous one in Tallahassee: it has a dormitory, a lower staff-to-inmate ratio, and limited fencing. So far, neither the US authorities nor the legal team have explained the reasons behind this change.

The meeting between the socialite and Todd Blanche, who reportedly rewarded Ghislaine Maxwell by now being placed in a prison with better conditions, may have been a way to ease pressure on the Trump administration, which is projecting a continued commitment to justice in this matter, particularly among its most ardent supporters. There is also the possibility of finding new targets among those implicated in the pedophilia ring . And even if these conversations don't yield any concrete results in the future, they have the potential to show allies that the head of state is not standing idly by.

On social media, influencers close to Donald Trump are willing to give the head of state another chance on this issue—especially if he listens to Ghislaine Maxwell. "She's a living, breathing person who can tell what happened. There's no one better to tell the truth," said podcaster Benny Johnson . One of the most famous MAGA supporters, activist Charlie Kirk, praised the socialite's decision to listen: "It's so powerful. [Trump] is listening to the voices of the base. If anyone currently has the information about what happened, it's Ghislaine Maxwell."

On Fox News, former lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, Alan Dershowitz, even suggested granting her "immunity" so she could freely "testify." Still, this theory doesn't convince all of the US president's social media allies . Another MAGA influencer , Jack Posobiec, believes that Ghislaine Maxwell "absolutely deserves to be behind bars." He only considers a deal if she "tells everything."

MAGA's electoral base no longer appears to be as angry about the issue, although there are signs of an internal division. Several voices, such as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have demanded the release of all documents related to the Epstein case—this remains the focus of some more radical Republicans.

For other influential voices within the MAGA movement, the focus is no longer on Donald Trump—it's now on Ghislaine Maxwell. Even among them, the issue of a presidential pardon remains a low-key issue. But it may not even be necessary in the short term, if the head of state can effectively divert attention.

Outside the base, among more moderate Republicans, the issue of Ghislaine Maxwell's presidential pardon is almost taboo, even though the topic is clearly embarrassing because it implicates and pardons a woman whom the American public views as a criminal. During his visit to Scotland, Donald Trump declined to give a definitive answer on the matter: "I might [grant a pardon], but it's something I haven't thought through yet."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said over the weekend that he believes Ghislaine Maxwell should have received a harsher sentence. "It's hard to put into words how evil what she did and what she orchestrated was. She played a major role [in the pedophilia ring], and I think it's unforgivable," he said in an interview with NBC News.

When asked how he would react if Donald Trump pardoned the socialite, Mike Johnson emphasized that "it's the President's decision." "He said he hadn't considered it yet. I'm not going to comment on that. It's not my area of expertise," he continued. However, the Speaker of the House of Representatives admitted that he would be "very apprehensive" about the possibility of Ghislaine Maxwell being pardoned.

Senate Leader John Thune made a virtually identical statement. Speaking to CNN International, the Republican Party leader said that it was "solely up" to Donald Trump to make that decision. He then added that, if it were up to him, Ghislaine "would spend a long time in prison."

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The base is divided, but no longer as displeased. Republicans dare not stand in the US president's way. However, the ramifications of the Epstein case have entered the political arena , with Democrats and some Republicans insisting on the full release of the documents. The Democratic Party has also condemned the possibility of Ghislaine Maxwell receiving a presidential pardon.

This Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he will use a rarely used procedure— the "rule of five"—to "force the Department of Justice to release the Epstein documents in full." This provides that when five senators on a given committee request the executive branch to release investigative documents, the latter "must comply with that request."

Democrats have gathered enough support to do so. "After promising full transparency for years, every time Trump, his administration, and Republican leaders have had multiple opportunities to be transparent about the Epstein files, they've decided to hide," Chuck Schumer accused, adding that these "excuses and delays are alarming." Therefore, the Democratic leader asked the attorney general to release the documents by August 15th.

Even so, Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives are trying to prevent the full documents from being released. Last week, Mike Johnson blocked votes on resolutions, including those from members of his own Republican Party, demanding the Trump administration release information about the Jeffrey Epstein case. And the Republican leader went further, bringing forward congressional vacations to prevent further votes on the matter.

Donald Trump will have bought himself some time until September, the month in which he resumes Congressional proceedings. Until then, he could exploit the ambiguity surrounding the pardon of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was also initially subpoenaed to testify before Congress on August 11th.

This hearing has been postponed indefinitely. Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers demanded that the testimony be scheduled only after the socialite has exhausted all legal avenues . The case is currently being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, which, according to Fox News, will only hear the appeal on September 29th.

In the coming weeks, Democrats will attempt to simmer Donald Trump down to the ground. The US president, meanwhile , will try to demonstrate his commitment to maintaining transparency regarding the Epstein case so as not to displease his electoral base. The results have been mixed so far. For now, granting a presidential pardon to Ghislaine Maxwell appears to be a recourse for a more extreme case—but one that hasn't been completely ruled out.