The family of Virginia Giuffre, a leading survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking network, is pleading with President Donald Trump not to grant clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell, calling her “a monster who deserves to rot in prison.”
In a public statement Wednesday, Giuffre’s family responded to recent comments from President Trump, who acknowledged that Epstein “stole” Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago—his Palm Beach club—where she had been working as a 16-year-old locker room attendant in 2000.
The Giuffre family called Trump’s remarks “shocking,” and questioned what he may have known about Epstein and Maxwell’s crimes. “It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been ‘stolen’ from Mar-a-Lago,” the statement read. “It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal actions.”
Trump has previously acknowledged removing Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for inappropriate behavior toward female employees. On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that Trump’s recent reference to Giuffre was in response to a direct question from a reporter and that the president had not brought her up unprompted.
The Giuffre family reiterated that it was Maxwell—now serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking minors—who “targeted and preyed upon” their sister, years before Epstein and Trump had any public falling out.
While no official discussions of a pardon have taken place, Maxwell’s legal team met recently with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, fueling speculation. Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, said there have been “no asks and no promises” from the Trump administration, though she “would welcome any relief.”
Asked about the possibility of granting clemency to Maxwell, Trump said last week he “hadn’t thought about it,” but added that he is “allowed to do it.”
Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, had been one of the earliest and most vocal accusers of both Epstein and Maxwell. Her family warned that any leniency toward Maxwell “would go down in history as one of the greatest travesties of justice.”
“Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster who deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her life,” the family wrote, “not just for what she did to our sister Virginia, but to countless other victims.”
A senior Trump administration official later said no clemency for Maxwell is being considered at this time. “The president himself has said it is not something he’s even thinking about,” the official told NBC News.
Maxwell is also facing additional scrutiny from Congress. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee recently subpoenaed her for a deposition, citing overwhelming public interest in the Epstein case. Maxwell’s lawyers have requested immunity in exchange for testimony, but Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) rejected that offer.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has pushed back on Epstein-related conspiracy theories, many of which have been circulated by figures on the political right. A recent internal review found no evidence of a secret “client list” or blackmail operation and reaffirmed that Epstein died by suicide in 2019.
Still, under pressure from his base, President Trump has instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue the release of “pertinent” grand jury testimony from Epstein’s criminal cases. Bondi has filed motions in federal courts in New York and Florida. A judge in Florida has already denied one of those requests, while proceedings in New York are still underway.
The renewed attention comes after The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Trump had written a letter to Epstein in 2003 that included a sketch of a naked woman. Trump has denied writing the note and filed a defamation lawsuit in response.
