Overview
- House Oversight Chair James Comer said Wednesday that some members back a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her testimony, though he opposes it and called the optics bad.
- Democrats on the panel, led by Ranking Member Robert Garcia, reject any clemency as disrespectful to survivors and warn it would look like a cover-up.
- Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment during a February deposition and her attorney says she will only answer questions if she receives clemency.
- The decision rests with President Trump, who has not ruled out a pardon as victims’ lawyers and other critics question Maxwell’s credibility and condemn any deal.
- With the committee divided, a deal appears unlikely for now, and the probe continues with other interviews and DOJ document releases tied to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.