Step right up! The Ghislaine Maxwell rehabilitation tour is making its rounds. While most see Jeffrey Epstein’s associate and former girlfriend as rightfully imprisoned, some in the MAGA world are now claiming she’s the victim of a grave injustice.
Newsmax anchor Greg Kelly recently speculated on air: “She just might be a victim. There was a rush to judgment. Sure, she hung out with Jeffrey Epstein—which, okay, isn’t great—but she’s been in jail for 20 years now.”
To back up this take, Kelly brought on Alan Dershowitz, whom he hailed as “one of the greatest attorneys who ever lived”—a description many would dispute. Dershowitz, who helped secure Epstein’s lenient 2008 plea deal, once argued in a 1997 op-ed that 15 was an “appropriate” age of consent, even suggesting some might prefer 14—coincidentally the age of some of Epstein’s victims. When criticized in 2019, Dershowitz doubled down, defending his stance as a “constitutional (not moral) argument.”
Now, Dershowitz claims Maxwell—convicted in 2021 on five counts of aiding Epstein’s abuse of minors and sentenced to 20 years—has suffered enough. “She shouldn’t have been jailed for five years for what she’s accused of,” he told Newsmax. “She’s served more time than anyone for a comparable offense.”
It’s not hard to guess why some are suddenly pushing this narrative. The Epstein files have become a political headache for Trump, who hasn’t been able to shake the story. Now, speculation swirls that he might cut a deal with Maxwell—especially after she secretly met with Trump’s DOJ last week and asked the Supreme Court to overturn her conviction, claiming unfair prosecution.
One theory? Maxwell could selectively reveal details that absolve Trump and smear his enemies in exchange for a pardon. (“I’m allowed to pardon her, but no one’s asked,” Trump said Monday.) But for that to work, Maxwell’s image needs rehab—from monster to victim.
Enter Newsmax, with its sudden interest in her case. The far-right network, financially tied to Trump, recently struck a deal to stream on his media platform. “This is now the Trump network,” one insider told The Independent. “Even conservative staff feel like it’s state-run media.” Adding to the intrigue: Alex Acosta, the prosecutor behind Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, sits on Newsmax’s board.
What happens next is unclear. But one thing’s certain: I believe Epstein’s victims—not Trump’s propaganda machine, and certainly not Maxwell herself. As accuser Annie Farmer told ABC News: “She didn’t just procure girls for Epstein—she participated in their abuse.” Now, that truth is looking increasingly inconvenient for some.It’s more likely that Trump will release Maxwell rather than the Epstein files. Arwa Mahdawi writes for The Guardian.
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