Top Republican says ‘a lot of people’ on Epstein probe panel open to Maxwell pardon

Politics
24 Apr 2026 • 5:38 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Top Republican says ‘a lot of people’ on Epstein probe panel open to Maxwell pardon

  • Some Republican members of a House committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein are open to President Donald Trump pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation with the probe.
  • Democrats on the House Oversight Committee strongly oppose any potential pardon for Maxwell, calling the idea “shameful” and detrimental to survivors.
  • Committee chair James Comer, while personally opposing the idea, told Politico that “a lot of people” on the panel would consider supporting a pardon for Maxwell’s testimony.
  • Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, has invoked her Fifth Amendment rights and her lawyer indicated she would only speak to the committee if granted clemency.
  • Survivors of Epstein and Maxwell's abuse have warned that a pardon would be “detrimental” and urged the Department of Justice to reject any clemency for Maxwell.

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