Ghislaine Maxwell Seeks Commutation From Trump

Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly planning to formally ask Donald Trump to reduce her 20-year prison sentence.

In October, the US Supreme Court rejected Maxwell’s appeal against her sex trafficking conviction. She is currently serving 20 years for trafficking underage girls to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The only option left to reduce her prison sentence is a commutation or pardon, granted by Trump.

The convicted sex offender, 63, told her lawyer she would send supporting documents for her commutation application through the prison warden, according to emails provided to Democrats on the Judiciary Committee by a whistleblower.

“I am struggling to keep it all together as it is big and there are so many attachments,” she allegedly told her lawyer Leaf Saffian in an email seen by Politico with the subject line “RE: Commutation Application”.

She added: “More coming to replace others... hopefully it will all make sense.”

In July, Trump refused to rule out granting clemency to Maxwell, saying it was something he is “allowed to do”.

Speaking to reporters, he said: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I haven’t thought about.”

On Monday, Jamie Raskin, the most senior Democrat on the committee, demanded Trump release information about the application and urged the US president to reject the request.

“You should not grant any form of clemency to this convicted and unrepentant sex offender,” Raskin wrote, according to Politico.

Maxwell ‘much happer in new prison’

Raskin also called for Todd Blanche, the US deputy attorney general, to testify about the commutation application in front of Congress.

Blanche interviewed Maxwell in July about her relationship with the Epstein and those associated with him. Days later, she was moved to a minimum security prison in Texas.

The whistleblower also reportedly claimed Maxwell had received “concierge-style” treatment at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, which included customised meals and access to the exercise area after hours.

Raskin added: “Your administration should not be providing her with room service, with puppies to play with, with federal law enforcement officials waiting on her every need, or with any special treatment or institutional privilege at all.”

Raskin also claimed information from the whistleblower indicated Maxwell’s guests could bring computers, and the warden helped organise visits which included “snacks and refreshments for her guests.”

In emails to her friends, Maxwell said she was “much happier” after she was moved from a stricter prison in Tallahassee, Florida.

Days after moving to Maxwell sent a series of emails to friends and family praising the cleanliness and safety of the new facility, where inmates mostly serve time for non-violent offences and white-collar crimes.

Maxwell said the food was “legions better” and that “everyone can breathe a sigh [of relief]”, comparing the sharp difference between the two prisons to climbing through “Alice in Wonderlands [sic] looking glass”, NBC News reported.

White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, said: “The White House does not comment on potential clemency requests. As President Trump has stated, pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell is not something he has thought about.”