White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell is not a priority for President Donald Trump or his administration, following Maxwell's decision to invoke her Fifth Amendment right during a House Oversight Committee deposition this week.
"This is not something I've discussed recently with the president because, frankly, it's not a priority," Leavitt told reporters during a White House press briefing.
"He's focused on many of the issues that the American people are dealing with and providing solutions to those issues."
Leavitt added that the last time she spoke with Trump about the matter, he made clear that granting clemency to Maxwell was "not something he's considering or thinking about."
Maxwell, a longtime associate of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has indicated she would testify under oath only if granted criminal immunity.
Otherwise, she will continue to assert her constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Trump previously declined to rule out the possibility of clemency, telling reporters in October that he would "have to take a look at it."
The president and his administration have faced repeated questions about Epstein-related files in which Trump and other high-profile figures — including former President Bill Clinton — are mentioned multiple times.
Being mentioned in the files does not necessarily indicate criminality, and both Trump and Clinton have denied any wrongdoing.
On Monday, Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, argued that his client is uniquely positioned to provide answers, saying that "only she can provide the complete account," including that "both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing."
"She must remain silent because Ms. Maxwell has a habeas petition currently pending that demonstrates that her conviction rests on a fundamentally unfair trial," the attorney wrote in a statement to the committee that he posted on X.
"If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path," Markus said.
"Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump."
On Tuesday, the White House pushed back against calls for Howard Lutnick to resign following a New York Times report that said the commerce secretary interacted "regularly" with Epstein.
"The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce, remains focused on delivering for the American people," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in an emailed statement to CNBC.
"The president's cabinet is working as one team, and they remain focused on results," he added.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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