The Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring that Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell should not be pardoned.
According to the resolution, “granting a pardon, commutation, or any other form of executive clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell would be inconsistent with the interests of justice and accountability for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.” It further declares that President Trump “should not grant a pardon, commutation, or any other form of executive clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell” and emphasizes that the Senate “stands with the victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking and affirms its commitment to justice, accountability, and the protection of children.”
“It’s frankly horrifying that Trump would entertain the idea of clemency for even a second for a convicted sex trafficker,” Rosen said in a speech on the Senate floor. She added, “If Republicans advance Todd Blanche’s nomination tomorrow in the Judiciary Committee, this is the least they can do to make their opposition to a Maxwell pardon clear.”
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, claimed earlier this year that there is a “good chance” that his client could receive a presidential pardon.
“I think she’s a scapegoat,” Markus said of his client in an interview with Politico. “She would never have been prosecuted had Jeffrey Epstein not committed suicide, or whatever, however he died.”
The defense attorney added to the outlet that he has not spoken to the Trump administration about the possibility of a pardon, but noted that a clemency request may be had at a later moment. “[Maxwell] obviously wants clemency. There’s no secret about that,” he said. “I don’t think now is the best time to do it, with everything going on. We’re not on a full court press right now.”
President Trump has denied considering a pardon for Maxwell. “It’s something I haven’t thought about,” he said last year.
