Former Aide Panicked Trump Is Poised to Set Off a Wave of ‘Outrage Like Never Before’ With Ghislaine Maxwell Pardon

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer publicly warned Donald Trump during a podcast interview that pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell — a convicted sex trafficker linked to Jeffrey Epstein — would cause an enormous backlash across the political spectrum.

Rumors are spreading that Trump might be considering this pardon. Maxwell is serving 20 years in prison for helping Epstein traffic underage girls. Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, was accused of keeping a secret list of powerful people he could use for blackmail.

Spicer said that if Trump gave Maxwell a deal, the reaction would be more intense than anything the country has seen before. He stressed that many people care deeply about justice for Epstein’s victims and that such a move would cross political boundaries. He hoped no one in the White House had convinced Trump that freeing Maxwell would be a smart decision.

Speculation grew after Maxwell was quietly moved to a low-security prison, something that required bending federal prison rules. Reports also say the Justice Department, under Trump, met with Maxwell to try to get names of Epstein’s accomplices.

Critics believe Trump’s interest in Maxwell could be an attempt to protect himself, as he had a long history of friendship with Epstein. Some, like security expert Marcy Wheeler, suspect Trump might be using the possibility of a deal to get damaging information about his political opponents, such as Bill Clinton, who also knew Epstein.

Spicer urged Trump to quickly and clearly rule out the idea of a pardon, warning that advisers might be misleading him. He compared the situation to when Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, saying Trump was wrongly told it would be widely celebrated — but it backfired. In Spicer’s view, pardoning Maxwell would be just as disastrous.