CNN’s latest attempt to trap President Trump on the Ghislaine Maxwell question spectacularly backfired, exposing yet again how the mainstream press prefers gotcha moments to real reporting. Reporters demanded a sensational soundbite and then spun his cautious, process-driven answer as something sinister.
When asked whether he would pardon Maxwell, Trump was clear that he would consult the Department of Justice and that he had not given the idea detailed thought, even noting that other high-profile figures have asked him for clemency. That measured, legalistic response — “I’ll have to speak to the DOJ” — is the exact responsible posture any president should take, yet the media rushed to portray it as reckless.
Conservatives should recognize the difference between thinking about using presidential powers responsibly and promising patronage to cronies; Trump’s insistence on involving the DOJ is the opposite of a backroom pardon. In July he also told reporters he had not considered pardoning Maxwell, underscoring that this isn’t some secret pledge but a matter the administration treats as serious and procedural.
Meanwhile, the press is desperately trying to tether Trump to every scandal connected to Epstein’s orbit, ignoring the fact that Maxwell was convicted in open court and is appealing through normal channels. The media’s selective outrage about one possible clemency discussion, while glossing over DOJ moves and document controversies, reveals their priorities more than any presidential remark.
Liz Wheeler and other conservative voices rightly called out the theatrics: reporters sought a sensational headline and then pretended nuance didn’t exist. The public deserves sober analysis — not the cable news habit of conflating process with corruption — and conservative outlets are filling that gap by forcing the mainstream to defend its sloppy framing.
People on the right should welcome DOJ involvement in any clemency question because it means the decision won’t be made by rumor or by late-night social media mobs. Maxwell’s interviews with Justice officials and the broader questions around the Epstein investigation deserve transparency, but that transparency must come through evidence and procedure, not breathless anchors angling for scandal.
At the end of the day, hardworking Americans see this for what it is: a media class desperately flailing to make a headline out of a responsible, lawful response. Conservatives should push back hard against that dishonest framing, insist on due process, and remind the country that patriotism means defending the rule of law against both criminal elites and the narrative mobs in the press.
