Lincoln Project Whacks Trump Over Well-Wishes for Accused Child Sex Trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell

Sarah RumpfJul 24th, 2020, 10:23 am
 
donald trump ghislaine maxwell

Screenshot via Twitter.

Anti-Trump PAC Lincoln Project is taking another whack at President Donald Trump Friday morning, hitting him for his well wishes to accused child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

Maxwell, the longtime confidante of convicted creep Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested earlier this month after going into hiding after Epstein’s arrest and death in jail. She is accused of helping him groom and recruit scores of underage girls to be sexually assaulted, and in some cases participating in the assaults herself.

Both Epstein and Maxwell were known to associate with many rich and powerful men, including former President Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew, and Trump himself.

When a reporter questioned the president about Maxwell on Tuesday — specifically asking if he thought “she’s going to turn in powerful men” — 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. Just don’t know the situation with Prince Andrew. Not aware of it.

Trump’s comment drew swift rebukes, including from some of his fellow Republicans — and now also the former Republicans who are behind the Lincoln Project’s ads.

The latest spot, launched Friday, is titled simply, “Maxwell,” and begins with the prosecutor reading through the accusations against Maxwell, interspersed with Trump’s comments about “wishing her well.” The video flips back and forth between the despicable descriptions of Maxwell’s alleged conduct and Trump, along with several photos and videos of Trump looking very chummy with both Epstein and Maxwell.

Says the narrator, “A woman accused of being at the center of an international child rape ring, and the President of the United States says, ‘I just wish her well, frankly.'”

“Had enough? On November 3rd, it’s time to return honor and dignity to the White House,” the narrator continues as images of Joe Biden are shown.

Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson told Mediaite that the ad seeks to address the “fundamental questions about Donald Trump’s longstanding relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been credibly accused in court documents of being the facilitator of Jeffrey Epstein’s international child rape ring.”

“Trump socialized with Maxwell and Epstein for decades,” added Wilson. “America deserves to know why Donald Trump treats Maxwell with such respect and deference. He has sent similar signals from the White House podium to his other criminal associates like Roger Stone and Mike Flynn.”

In the two hours since the ad went live, it’s racked up nearly a million views on the Lincoln Project’s social media platforms.

Watch the video above, via YouTube.

Editor’s Note: The author of this article is a former political colleague and long time friend of Rick Wilson.

 

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.