Trump asked if Ghislaine Maxwell mentioned him after arrest

Former U.S. president Donald Trump was anxious following the arrest of socialite-turned-sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in 2020.

According to the new book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, he queried his inner circle.

Trump reportedly asked his minions: “She say anything about me?”

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US President Donald Trump listens to former US Labour Secretary Alexander Acosta during a media address early July 12, 2019 at the White House in Washington, DC. – Alex Acosta announced his resignation as US labor secretary, amid criticism of a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein.Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI /AFP/Getty Images

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The former commander-in-chief was well acquainted with Maxwell and her longtime paramour, billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell, 61, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last June after being convicted of a slew of sex trafficking charges in December 2021.

What Trump was concerned about was a July 2020 story in the New York Post that claimed the disgraced socialite would “name names” of Epstein’s pals.

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An aerial view of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., Aug. 31, 2022.Photo by Steve Helber /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trump has previously denied, and has not been accused, of any wrongdoing and in fact, booted Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in 2005 for hitting on underage girls. That marked the end of their friendship.

But Haberman writes that Trump was worried he could be ensnared in the Maxwell investigation.

Trump and others had nothing to worry about.

Maxwell refused to cooperate with the feds and did not “name names” from her fat, little black book. Skilled at self-preservation, it was widely expected the publishing heiress would turn canary to save herself.

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Who? Me? Ghislaine Maxwell rubs Jeffrey Epstein’s feet on the plane dubbed the ‘Lolita Express.’Photo by HANDOUT /U.S. DEPT OF JUSTICE

Instead, she was defiantly silent.

The late Steven Hoffenberg — a former Epstein associate — was certain Maxwell would sing.

He told the Post: “She’s going to be naming some big names — not only in terms of those who abused underage girls at Epstein’s parties — but also those who made financial agreements with Epstein or benefited from his generosity, including flying on his plane and staying at his homes.

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Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell sits in the courtroom to hear a note from the jury in a courtroom sketch in New York City on Dec. 21, 2021.Photo by Jane Rosenberg /REUTERS

“Ghislaine thought she was untouchable — that she’d be protected by the intelligence communities she and Jeffrey helped with information: the Israeli intelligence services, and Les Wexner, who has given millions to Israel; by Prince Andrew, President Clinton and even by President Trump, who was well-known to be an acquaintance of her and Epstein’s.”

As for Trump, he famously offered Maxwell good luck in the months before her trial.

“I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach,” Trump told shocked reporters. “But I wish her well, whatever it is.”

Epstein hanged himself in a New York City jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

Trump later said of Epstein: “I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I was not a fan.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun