Chris Hayes skewers MAGA plot to ally with Epstein accomplice to 'rehab' Trump's image

MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes tore into MAGA influencers attempting to use the potential testimony of deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, to build a narrative that excuses President Donald Trump's involvement in the scandal.

Hayes noted commentator Greg Kelly from the right-wing channel Newsmax, who said of Maxwell, "She just might be a victim. She just might be. There was a rush to judgment."

That framing, Hayes argued, represents a stunning reversal.

"After years of claiming that Epstein was the devil himself and the center of this evil, widespread global conspiracy that preyed on young girls, the right-wing propaganda machine is so desperate for Trump to find cover in this scandal, they are now painting Ghislaine Maxwell as an ally, as more of a victim than the hundreds of girls that she helped Epstein prey on, some of whom she assaulted herself," said Hayes.

He pointed to harrowing accounts from survivors.

"Some of them and their lawyers spoke out in a recent Netflix documentary, and a warning, viewers, what they said is disturbing."

One survivor, reflecting on Maxwell’s role, said bluntly: "I think Jeffrey Epstein is the undisputed most prolific sexual predator of all time. But without Ghislaine's help, he could never have pulled off such an elaborate scheme."

Another described a deeply uncomfortable encounter.

"Once I was on my back and she had pulled the sheet down, she touched my breasts and I felt very uncomfortable."

Yet another said, "He then asked me to do things while I was massaging Jeffrey. And I said I didn't feel comfortable. And she's like, well, why wouldn't you? It's just part of the body. This is what a man needs in order to have a complete massage. And I just felt as though I couldn't say no."

"She was making me question myself so that she and Jeffrey could use me for their purposes," said a fourth.

"The woman that they're talking about is who MAGA World now hopes will do a deal to rehabilitate Donald Trump's reputation, a woman that Trump's own DOJ said back in 2020 was an inveterate liar, who not only recruited girls for Epstein's abuse but was present when he committed multiple sexual acts against those girls," said Hayes. "Virtually everything Epstein was charged with doing when he died, Maxwell was actually convicted of doing."

Hayes pulled no punches, skewering the effort to rehabilitate Maxwell's image.

"The one thing that has become crystal clear throughout this scandal is that there's only one person alive who has intimate knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and his contacts, who was an accomplice in those actions," Hayes concluded. "And the Trump administration ... may try to spring her from prison if they like the story she tells."

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