NEWSGhislaine Maxwell's Brother Denies She Asked Donald Trump for Pardon, Insists She's Not Protecting President
'Ghislaine has not asked President Trump for a pardon,' Ian Maxwell told ABC News.
Feb. 19 2026, Updated 4:11 p.m. ET
The brother of convicted Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is defending his sister — as well as the president — in a new interview published on Wednesday, February 18.
In a sit-down with ABC News, Ian Maxwell claimed the assertion that Ghislaine, 64, asked Donald Trump for a pardon in exchange for testimony that would exonerate him and Bill Clinton from any wrongdoing in connection to Epstein was attributable to her former lawyer.
"Ghislaine has not asked President Trump for a pardon," the British businessman insisted. "The fact of the matter is that the Epstein scandal is being used by both sides of the aisle to beat the present president and the former president."
'President Trump Has Not Done Anything Wrong'
Ghislaine Maxwell remained tight-lipped during her virtual deposition on February 9.
"President Trump has not done anything wrong. You tell me, have you found anything wrong in the papers yet? I haven’t seen anything there," he said of recent release of Epstein files by the Justice Department.
Ian's remarks came a week after the late s-- offender's most famous co-conspirator refused to speak during her virtual House Oversight Committee deposition on Monday, February 9.
On the topic of his sister choosing to plead the fifth, he said that "the legal advice was absolutely clear" that she should invoke her right to remain silent as not to further incriminate herself.
Ian Maxwell Claims Ghislaine Answered Hundreds of Todd Blanche's Questions
Ian Maxwell claimed his sister answered 'several hundred questions' during a meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last summer.
"You need to think about this quite carefully," Ian added before pointing out that she did speak with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in July 2025.
"He asked her over two days of questioning several hundred questions. She didn’t fail to answer a single one of those," he said.
The aforementioned made headlines last summer as the former British socialite was moved to a minimum security prison facility just days after her meeting with the deputy attorney general.
- Donald Trump Brags That He Is 'Allowed' to Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell From 20-Year Prison Sentence
- Ghislaine Maxwell Tried Giving 'Dirt' About Donald Trump to Joe Biden in Attempt to Receive Presidential Pardon, Former Inmate Claims
- Donald Trump Considered Pardoning Jeffrey Epstein's Co-Conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell During His First Term, Biographer Claims
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'She Had to Be Moved'
'Ghislaine is possibly the most notorious prisoner in the U.S. federal system today,' Ian Maxwell said.
She was relocated to Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas after serving time at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Tallahassee in Florida.
Ian defended the move, noting, "Ghislaine is possibly the most notorious prisoner in the U.S. federal system today."
"We know that prison is a very violent place. Jeffrey Epstein died. Ghislaine did have many threats in Tallahassee where she was," he spilled. "It was a notoriously violent and dangerous place for her own safety. She had to be moved."
Pam Bondi Hopes Ghislaine Maxwell Dies Behind Bars
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Ghislaine Maxwell will 'hopefully die in prison' at a hearing last week about the government's handling of the Epstein files.
Attorney General Pam Bondi notably stated the former madame will "hopefully die in prison" during a hearing regarding the government's handling of the Epstein files last week.
Ghislaine was convicted in New York in December 2021 for assisting in the recruiting and grooming of underage girls to be abused by Jeffrey between 1994 and 2004.
She was sentenced to 20 years in prison with five years of supervised released.
