(José Niño, Headline USA) House Oversight Committee members are split over whether President Donald Trump should pardon Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her testimony about the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking operation, per a report by Politico.
Chairman James Comer of Kentucky told Politico that opinions on his panel are divided, though he declined to identify which members support granting clemency to the only person convicted in the Epstein conspiracy.
“A lot of people do,” Comer said when asked whether a pardon would be a favorable deal. “My committee’s split on that. I don’t speak for my committee.”
Comer himself opposes the arrangement. “I think it looks bad,” he said. “Honestly, other than Epstein, the worst person in this whole investigation is Maxwell.”
BREAKING: US House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer says some panel members are open to US President Donald Trump pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell to secure her cooperation in the Epstein investigation, Reuters reports.
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Maxwell was deposed by the Oversight Committee as Epstein’s sole convicted accomplice but invoked her Fifth Amendment right and declined to answer questions. Her attorney has stated she will only cooperate if granted clemency, a power that rests exclusively with President Trump. The president has not ruled out the possibility.
Representative Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the panel, said his caucus unanimously opposes any pardon for Maxwell.
“That would be a huge step backwards, and, quite frankly, so disrespectful to the survivors,” Garcia stated. “She is a known abuser. She is a known liar.”
Garcia went further in condemning any potential deal. “If the DOJ or Oversight Republicans are out there trying to negotiate some sort of pardon that is … not only a huge slap in the face to this investigation, to anyone, to the American public,” he said. “It’s a part of a massive cover up.”
Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus told Politico in an extended interview last month that he believes there is a good chance his client will ultimately receive a pardon from the president.
Markus revealed he reached out to then Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last year to facilitate Maxwell’s interview with the Department of Justice. She received limited immunity for that two day conversation and was moved to a minimum security prison camp shortly afterward.
During her interview with Blanche, Maxwell emphasized that she had not witnessed Trump engage in impropriety with Epstein. The president’s relationship with the disgraced financier has generated significant speculation, though Trump has maintained the two had a falling out years ago.
Garcia said the Oversight Committee should investigate why and how Maxwell was transferred to a different facility after her interview with Blanche.
Pressure has been mounting on the Justice Department to pursue new prosecutions in the Epstein case. The United Kingdom recently arrested Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and former Ambassador Peter Mandelson for crimes related to their association with Epstein.
The committee’s investigation has been complicated by Maxwell’s refusal to answer questions and the fact that Epstein died behind bars years ago.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
