Donald Trump is in a real pickle, and it appears as though Speaker Mike Johnson has no intention of making things any easier on the president. With news blasting everywhere about the Department of Justice notifying Trump about the many times that he was flagged in the Epstein files, Donald Trump needs someone to say that he didn’t rape children, and the only available source happens to be convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, who Trump could – potentially – pardon in exchange for some kind of denial that Maxwell knew that he raped teen girls. The trouble, of course, is that such a pardon would be wholly unwarranted, while also almost self-affirming that Trump has a lot to hide (Or why grant a pardon? It is not like anyone has any sympathy for the woman). None of this really matters to Trump, but for any of it to work, the narrative has to flip in making Maxwell appear to be a victim of circumstances. To that end, at the very least, it appears that Speaker Mike Johnson is unwilling to provide Trump any additional cover.
This weekend on Meet the Press, NBC’s Kristin Welker pinned Johnson on the matter, asking whether he saw any basis for granting Maxwell a pardon. As set out in a report by Mediaite:
“Are you open to a pardon or commutation? I mean, Mr. Speaker, the victims referred to Maxwell as Epstein’s right-hand woman. Here’s what one victim who testified under a pseudonym told the court at sentencing, ‘The many acts that were perpetrated on me by Epstein, including rape, strangulation and sexual assault were never consensual and would not have occurred had it not been for the cunning and premeditated role Ghislaine Maxwell played.’ Is that someone deserving of a pardon or commutation in any circumstance, Mr. Speaker?”
Quite obviously, Johnson had nowhere to go but to either agree that this trafficker doesn’t deserve a sliver of sympathy or fully back Trump. Notably, he did not give Trump any room in which to work:
“If you’re asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance! I think she should have a life sentence at least. I mean, think of all these unspeakable crimes, and as you noted earlier, probably 1,000 victims. I mean … it’s hard to put into words how evil this was, and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it, at least under the criminal sanction, I think, is an unforgivable thing. So again, not my decision, but I have great pause about that, as any reasonable person would.”
Correct. And now back to Trump. What does he do? To be sure, he can grant Maxwell a pardon in this matter – no doubt, and if Trump believed he would benefit, that pardon would already be granted; he will always serve his own purposes first and last. The trouble for Trump is that he doesn’t know that he won’t give himself that much more trouble by having to pardon Maxwell. Questions and such. He looks guilty, which is his biggest problem since the beginning of all this. How he thought he could even broach the subject without looking terrible is one of life’s enduring mysteries.
It sure appears as though Trump wants his acolytes out there exploring the edge of all that the base will tolerate, setting up possible new narratives – though “Maxwell as a victim” of some kind is quite a noxious narrative, so much so that Johnson had no trouble swatting it away with “life in prison,” more years.
What does Trump do now? Expect noise from the Justice Department about Maxwell needing the matter reopened, some sort of underlying shenanigans, definitely under a Democratic administration. Remember, too, that they had to fire the lifelong attorneys involved, including Maureen Comey. Don’t want them around to clarify things. Anything and everything necessary for talk beginning to frame Maxwell as more nuanced, more misunderstood, a friend to Trump’s cause…
Just don’t expect Speaker Johnson to follow along with this. After all, everyone is going to know what is happening. That is Trump’s other problem: people are all too used to him using his pardon pen to bail friends who say the right things. It may play out okay within a strictly legal dynamic, but it won’t hold a drop of water for those who easily see through the entire matter. No, expect Maxwell’s attorneys to release a statement with 100 names on it, one that makes very clear that Trump did nothing wrong, and expect a pardon from Trump on his last day in office. Indeed, bet on it. Johnson already seems to have.
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