Conservative Pundit Cornered On CNN For Touting Ghislaine Maxwell Prison Interview
Conservative pundit Ben Ferguson defended President Donald Trump’s administration Friday on CNN over its interview of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former accomplice of late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who claimed in a just-released transcript that Trump wasn’t involved in their crimes.
The “NewsNight” panel consequently erupted into a heated debate and name-calling.
Maxwell is currently seeking a presidential pardon and was moved to a minimum-security prison in Texas, but only after agreeing to an interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in which she claimed never having seen Trump in a compromising situation.
“There’s nothing wrong with asking those questions,” said Ferguson about the interview.
“You guys are angry that they decide to sit down with someone who, by the way, is alive, because the other person … is dead,” he continued. “Epstein’s dead. You have [only] one [known other] person who’s heavily involved in this [ongoing sex trafficking scandal].”
The other panelists were skeptical that a convicted sex trafficker seeking a pardon would incriminate the only person who could give her one. Comedian Pete Dominick told Ferguson, “Dude, Ben, you live at the top of bullshit mountain” — before going even further.
“You’ve become the party of protecting pedophiles,” Dominick added.
Ferguson went on to argue that Maxwell’s prison interview should be taken seriously, as it could provide authorities with new information and potentially identify additional suspects. Former FBI agent and CNN legal analyst Asha Rangappa, however, wasn’t convinced.
“Do you believe Ghislaine Maxwell is guilty?” she asked Ferguson, who said he does.
Rangappa then reminded Ferguson that Maxwell denied her own guilt during the prison interview, which makes her even less trustworthy. Ferguson argued it shouldn’t be “shocking” that “most criminals lie” — clearing the way for a bona fide mic-drop moment.
“Then why on Earth would you believe anything she said?” Rangappa asked.
Ferguson argued that law enforcement officials “interview a lot of guilty people,” and that Maxwell’s case was no different. “NewsNight” host Abby Phillip noted that Maxwell “got a perk” by being transferred to a cushier prison, however, after singing Trump’s praises to Blanche.
“Why was she moved?” Phillip asked Ferguson. “Why was she moved, Ben?”
The Republican pundit shared no argument before the segment cut to commercials. When the panel returned to cover Friday’s FBI raid on former national security adviser John Bolton, Ferguson argued, “Hey, if he did nothing wrong, he’s got nothing to worry about.”
This story has been amended to clarify Ben Ferguson’s comments.
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