Frankly, President Donald Trump wishes Ghislaine Maxwell well.
Maxwell, an accused sex trafficker of underage girls and pimp of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, awaits trial after being charged this month by New York federal prosecutors. She’s accused of conspiring with Epstein to recruit, groom and sexually abuse underage girls as young as 14 between 1994 and 1997.
Maxwell’s name came up during a White House press conference with the commander in chief. Trump was asked about Maxwell’s recent arrest and whether he thought she might go public with names of some of the powerful men Epstein entertained.
“I don’t know – I haven’t really been following it too much. I just wish her well, frankly,” Trump replied. “I have met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is.”
Epstein was charged in a federal indictment with sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of girls and women at his mansion in Manhattan, his Palm Beach estate and an island in the Caribbean known as “Pedophile Island.”
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and died in August in a New York federal jail under suspicious circumstances. The official version was that he killed himself. Surveillance footage from outside Epstein’s cell during his first so-called suicide attempt conveniently went missing. The autopsy from his strangulation death “points to homicide,” not suicide, according to an independent forensic pathologist hired by the brother of Epstein. Authorities disputed the independent report.
Epstein’s death focused attention on his powerful and famous friends and acquaintances in politics, business, academia and entertainment including Trump, Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew.
Maxwell, 58, has a trial date set for July 12, 2021. She faces up to 35 years in federal prison if convicted of all six counts, according to The Guardian. Many people think she doesn’t stand a good chance of surviving that long.
Trump’s well-wishing drew new attention to his friendship with Epstein.
After Epstein’s arrest, Trump tried to distance himself from the disgraced financier. Epstein avoided federal sex-crime charges in 2008 under an infamous plea deal that allowed him to plead guilty to lesser charges of soliciting prostitution.
in 2002, Trump told New York magazine that Epstein was a “terrific guy” whom he had known for 15 years.
“He’s a lot of fun to be with,” Trump said at the time. “It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Trump treated Epstein like a close friend. The two were photographed together in the 1990s and early 2000s at Mar-a-Lago — the West Palm Beach estate that the president later referred to as his “Winter White House”. They also attended dinner parties together in Manhattan, New York Times reported.
George Houraney, a Florida businessman, described to The New York Times how in 1992, he flew two dozen-or-so women to Mar-a-Lago for what was supposed to be a “calendar girl” competition. The only guests were Trump, Epstein and the girls.
Houraney had just teamed up with Trump to host events at his casinos. “I said, ‘Donald, this is supposed to be a party with V.I.P.s,’” he recalled. “‘You’re telling me it’s you and Epstein?’”
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On Twitter, news of Trump’s warm wishes toward Maxwell ranged from skepticism to disbelief. Some saw his words as code for “don’t rat me out.”
“Trump ‘wishes well’ a woman who help with sex trafficking & exploitation? Not something like ‘I hope justice is brought for the victims.’ Seriously? ‘Wish her well?’ Wow, I am speechless”, @Brenda13757177 tweeted.
“The only reason wishing her well, is because, she has something against him. He is letting her know, don’t rat on me, I’ll pardon you down the road,”@renewolfe007 tweeted.
“Psst…..Keep you’re mouth shut and I will take care of you. Roger Stone Part 2”, @sheriff40 tweeted.
“Yes, the President of the United States using a press conference to send warm greetings to an accused sex trafficker is absolutely totally normal,” @SiddiqRex tweeted.
“Trump calls those who kneel unpatriotic, but he wishes well to those who have been convicted and are about to be convicted,” @bekaar tweeted.
