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US President Donald Trump on Friday said that no one has asked him to grant clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. “I’m allowed to do it, but nobody’s asked me to do it,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax. “I know nothing about the case, but I know I have the right to do it.”
The remarks came amid Maxwell’s transfer to a lower-security federal prison in Texas and the Justice Department’s recent legal efforts related to the unsealing of grand jury records.
Maxwell has been transferred from FCI Tallahassee, a low-security prison in Florida, to the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. The move comes one week after Maxwell reportedly met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss matters related to the Epstein investigation.
Her attorney, David Markus, confirmed the transfer as per Reuters, but declined to comment further on its reasoning.
Federal prison camps like Bryan are considered the least restrictive in the system. They typically house inmates who are not considered a security threat and often lack perimetre fencing, reported Reuters.
Trump’s comments come as his administration faces political pressure from both supporters and opponents to release more information about the Epstein-Maxwell investigation. Online communities and members of his base have accused the Justice Department of hiding damaging evidence linked to powerful figures.
Last month, the DOJ said it would seek court approval to unseal certain grand jury transcripts related to Epstein and Maxwell. Two federal judges in Manhattan are currently reviewing that request.
Blanche’s meeting with Maxwell has prompted speculation, but neither he nor Maxwell’s legal team has publicly detailed what was discussed. Trump, when asked about the nature of the interview, said Blanche “just wants to make sure that innocent people aren’t hurt, but you’d have to speak to him about it.”
Asked about what was discussed between Maxwell and the deputy attorney general last week, Trump said he believed Blanche “just wants to make sure that innocent people aren’t hurt” should documents in the Epstein probe be released.
Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee has expressed interest in interviewing Maxwell but said it would not provide immunity or pre-written questions, as her legal team had requested.
(With inputs from Reuters, AP)
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