Ghislaine Maxwell has formally sought a presidential pardon from Donald Trump after completing a second interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on 25 July in Tallahassee, Florida. Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, told reporters he hopes the former president will use his clemency power to set aside her 20-year sentence for sex-trafficking a minor, imposed in 2021. Maxwell maintains her innocence and is appealing the conviction. Trump, asked the same day about a possible pardon, said he had not considered the request but acknowledged he has the authority to grant it. Blanche, who previously represented Trump in private practice, has been gathering information from Maxwell as the Justice Department weighs whether she can shed further light on associates of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The renewed talks come amid bipartisan pressure on the Justice Department and the FBI to unseal additional Epstein-related records. Separately, the House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Maxwell to testify on 11 August about what she knows of Epstein’s network. Any move by Trump to pardon Maxwell would likely intensify scrutiny of both the pending investigations and his own ties to Epstein.