FACT CHECK: Did Fox News Report That Trump ‘Vowed To Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell If He Wins In 2024’?
A post shared on Facebook claims Fox News reported that former President Donald Trump has “vowed to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell if he wins in 2024.”
Verdict: False
There is no evidence Fox News published such a story. A Fox News spokesperson said the claim is false.
Fact Check:
Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend and confidant of deceased convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein, was convicted on five out of six possible federal sex trafficking charges on Dec. 29, according to NBC News. She is facing up to 65 years in prison, the outlet reported.
Now, a post shared on Facebook claims Fox News reported that Trump “vowed to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell if he wins in 2024.”
The post includes an image showing a compilation of several pictures of Trump pointing at photos of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Kamala Harris with the words, “Nasty Woman,” written under each photo of Trump. At the bottom of the image, a photo of Trump smiling with a thumbs-up is shown beside a picture of Maxwell. “I wish her well!” reads text below the smiling Trump, an apparent reference to a July 21, 2020 press conference where Trump said, “I just wish her well, frankly,” when asked to comment on Maxwell’s arrest, according to The Guardian.
There is, however, no evidence Fox News reported on Trump making such a vow. Check Your Fact searched the outlet’s website, as well as its verified Facebook and Twitter accounts, but found no mention of any news article or report about Trump vowing to pardon Maxwell. A Fox News spokesperson confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact that the outlet did not publish any such report. (RELATED: No Fox News Didn’t Stage A Photo Of Trump Visiting Troops In Afghanistan)
The claim about Trump may have stemmed from author Michael Wolff’s book “Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency.” According to Business Insider, the book claims that Trump “took a ‘sudden interest’ in Ghislaine Maxwell’s case as he was considering who to pardon in the final week of his presidency.” There is no indication in the book or elsewhere, however, that Trump vocalized any plan to pardon her in the future.
Check Your Fact has reached out to Trump’s press team and will update this piece if a response is given.