Political analyst Maggie Haberman on Friday evaluated the potential impact of President Trump possibly pardoning convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell after she cooperated with the Justice Department (DOJ) during two days of interviews.
“It’s quite a line to walk,” Haberman said during an appearance on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins.”
“What I think you’re seeing the Trump administration potentially moving toward is claiming she was a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, that she was somehow not a sex trafficker herself, but somebody who was caught up in his crime wave. The reason, I think, that is the people close to the administration have started describing her as a victim,” she added.
Haberman and Collins reminded viewers that there are groups of people impacted by Epstein’s criminal dealings that are still recovering from years of trauma.
“There are real — girls. There are real victims here. There are real victims who suffered, whose lives have been irreparably damaged. And they are being — some of them have said, feel like they are being used in a way that is very unpleasant,” Haberman said.
Maxwell is currently appealing her guilty verdict to the Supreme Court despite disapproval from the DOJ.
Some are hoping that her Thursday and Friday conversations with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former criminal attorney, will bring forth more information in regard to the high-profile people involved in Epstein’s criminal dealings. She was granted limited immunity during the meetings, according to reports.
“This was a thorough, comprehensive interview by the Deputy Attorney General. No person and no topic were off-limits. We are very grateful. The truth will come out,” Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus said in a statement to NewsNation, the sister network of The Hill.
The president dubbed the informal probe involving his criminal ties to Epstein a “witch hunt” from which he is seeking to clear his name. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier this week, the president suggested to reporters he has not completely ruled out pardoning Epstein’s accomplice, Maxwell.
“It’s something I haven’t thought about. I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
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