Behind Epstein and Trump is a smiling woman with cropped hair and crossed arms, who at times appears to glance toward Epstein's eye line. It's Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former confidant and ex-girlfriend, who is now facing charges for acting as an alleged accomplice to Epstein's sexual trafficking of minors.
Last year, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner said Epstein died by suicide by hanging inside a Manhattan jail cell, where he was awaiting trial on federal charges accusing him of sexually abusing underage girls. And earlier this month, Maxwell was arrested for charges related to recruiting, grooming and ultimately sexually abusing minors as young as 14 alongside Epstein. She pleaded not guilty.
Trump has consistently attempted to publicly distance himself from Epstein since the financier first faced charges related to inappropriate sexual conduct with underage girls in the mid-2000s. But on Tuesday, during a news conference that was supposed to be about the federal response to the coronavirus, the President took a decidedly different approach when he was asked about Maxwell, saying he wishes her "well" as she faces federal charges.
When asked by a reporter whether he believes Maxwell will turn on powerful men who are rumored to have participated in illegal sexual activity, Trump replied, "I don't know. I haven't really been following it too much. I just wish her well frankly. I've met her numerous times over the years -- especially since I lived in Palm Beach. I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well. Whatever it is."
The comments caught some White House officials off guard. The officials told CNN they were baffled by the President's remarks about Maxwell, seeing it as an unwelcome distraction to a press conference where Trump largely stuck to the script.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that she spoke with the President about his comments regarding Maxwell and attempted to clarify Trump's remarks.
"Well, what the President was noting is that the last person who was charged in this case ended up dead in a jail cell. And the President wants justice to be served for the victims in this case and he prefers this to play out in a courtroom," McEnany told Fox News on Thursday.
The White House did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
'I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy'
Maxwell, Trump and Epstein were part of similar social orbits, with both men maintaining residences in Palm Beach and in New York. And they were photographed together, sometimes with Trump's then-girlfriend, Melania Knauss, several times throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
Trump once said he maintained a more than decade-long friendship with Epstein, and one of Epstein's business partners told CNN Trump was also taken by Maxwell's personality.
In 2002, Trump would tell New York Magazine, "I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy," adding that Epstein had a reputation for young women.
"He's a lot of fun to b
