Former President Trump considered issuing a pardon to Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell shortly before leaving office, according to a new book from author Michael Wolff.
Business Insider reported Tuesday that Wolff wrote in his new book “Landslide” that Trump took a “sudden interest” in Maxwell’s case.
“Has she said anything about me?” Trump reportedly asked about Maxwell. “Is she going to talk? Will she roll on anybody?”
The Hill has reached out to Trump’s office for comment.
Maxwell is being held in a New York jail on child sex trafficking charges. She has pleaded not guilty, and her requests for bail have been denied. A judge deemed her an “extreme risk of flight,” adding that she has “demonstrated willingness and sophisticated ability to live in hiding.”
Wolff has written two other books about Trump: the bestseller “Fire and Fury” and its sequel, “Siege.”
“Landslide” is set to be released on July 13 and is considered to be the last in Wolff’s trilogy on the Trump presidency.
Trump has previously acknowledged socializing with Maxwell “numerous times” over the years. The former president, former first lady Melania Trump, Maxwell and Epstein were all photographed together at and event in 2000.
“I haven’t really been following it too much. I just wish her well, frankly. I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach,” Trump told reporters last year after Maxwell was arrested. “But I wish her well, whatever it is.”
Trump issued numerous pardons at the end of his presidency for individuals such as Stephen Bannon and Lil Wayne.