House members investigating pedophile Jeffrey Epstein are considering whether a pardon of his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, will help advance their investigation.
Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee were divided on the option, with some indulging the idea of President Donald Trump granting her the pardon in exchange for her cooperation, Politico reported.
That’s according to Chairman James Comer, who fired back after the article was published, clarifying that he was against pardoning Maxwell, who is serving 20 years for sex trafficking, but did not dispute that some members were considering it.
“I made my position clear: I am not open to a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell,“ Comer wrote on X. ”In the future, use my full statement. Don’t post clickbait.”
Maxwell appeared remotely from prison before the committee as part of their investigation into the convicted sex offender and the handling of the Epstein documents in February.
But rather than answer lawmakers’ questions, she instead invoked the 5th Amendment to avoid self-incrimination. Her legal team has repeatedly called for a pardon.
When asked whether he believed it was a favorable deal to issue a pardon in return for Maxwell’s testimony, Comer said, “A lot of people do.”
While Comer did not share who on his panel backed granting her a pardon, he told Politico they were “split on that” and that he did not speak for the committee.
Democrats on the committee were quick to blast the idea of letting Maxwell off the hook.
“Hell no,” wrote Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia on X. “Honestly shocking that this is even being discussed.”
“It’s outrageous that Republicans on the Oversight Committee are considering a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell,” wrote Ranking Member Robert Garcia. “She is a sexual abuser who facilitated the rape of women and children. This is a shameful way to treat survivors. Oversight Democrats are united in opposing any pardon.”
But Trump, who is an associate of both Epstein and Maxwell, has not ruled out pardoning the convicted sex trafficker as his own relationship with the pair has come under intense scrutiny.
Asked about it repeatedly by reporters since last summer, Trump claimed he had not thought about pardoning her despite her name being front-and-center in the headlines as the scandal over the botched Epstein documents release sent the country into a frenzy.
Later last year, Trump said he would have to “take a look at it.”
Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, said after she appeared before the committee that his client was willing to give the “unfiltered truth about what happened” if she is granted clemency by the president.
As the fury over the Justice Department’s reversal on releasing the documents went into high gear last year, then Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal criminal lawyer, went down to Florida to interview Maxwell for two days.
During the lengthy interviews, Maxwell cleared Trump of any wrongdoing and even lavished praise on the president, who holds her future in his hands. Just after she met with Blanche, she was moved to a minimum security prison in Texas on August 1.
Democrats immediately accused the Trump administration of giving her a sweetheart deal in return for her favorable claims about Trump. Trump officials denied that it was the case, but critics pointed out that sex offenders are not typically held at facilities like the one she was moved to in Texas, where perks include private visits and puppy playtime.
