Trump Wouldn’t Actually Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell ... Right?

What better way to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday than by letting 250 of the president’s closest investo... er ... friends out of the slammer? From The Wall Street Journal:

White House officials are weighing a plan for President Trump to issue 250 pardons as a way to mark the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday this summer, according to people familiar with the matter. The plan is still in preliminary discussions but, if carried out, would expand Trump’s already wide use of the pardon power. ... Trump has been determined to put his imprint on the national celebration, known as the semiquincentennial. He has pushed for a National Garden of American Heroes featuring 250 life-size statues of figures including past presidents George Washington and Ronald Reagan and baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson. He has launched plans for the “Patriot Games,” athletic competitions featuring high-schoolers. And he has commissioned the repainting of the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Obviously, the potential for chicanery contained within 250 presidential pardons granted in one great glob is virtually limitless. If the White House goes through with this plan, expect a long parade of corporate brigands, crypto kingpins, and other Trumpian “business leaders” to come marching in. Also expect a flood of gratitude to find its way toward various Trump priorities, including the Gilded Palace of Sin (thanks, Gram), where the East Wing used to stand.

Trump has expanded his use of the pardon in his second term, including a mass forgiveness of his supporters charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

He pardoned Changpeng Zhao, founder of world’s largest crypto exchange Binance; Trevor Milton, convicted of defrauding investors in truck maker Nikola; and Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the crypto-fueled black market Silk Road. Trump has discussed widespread pardons for his staff before he leaves office, the Journal has reported. Trump’s use of his constitutional power has contributed to a surge in pardon requests, and some high-profile campaigns.

There were more than 16,000 formal requests last year, a record according to Justice Department data going back to 1937. Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the theft of $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s government investment fund, 1MDB, filed for a pardon, the Journal reported earlier. So did Fugees member Pras Michel, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of charges including illegally lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of Low and improperly funneling donations to then-President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012. Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted head of crypto exchange FTX, has sought a pardon, though Trump has publicly said he had no intention of granting it.

And then there is the He Wouldn't Dare, Would He? part of the proceedings.

A lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell has publicly raised the idea of potential clemency in exchange for testimony from his client, who is serving a 20-year sentence for helping recruit and groom underage girls for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

After the Supreme Court declined to hear Maxwell’s appeal, Trump was asked last year whether he was considering a pardon. He said he would have to speak with the Justice Department. “I have a lot of people who’ve asked me for pardons,” he told reporters.