House Republicans Divided Over Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell for Testimony

House Oversight Committee Republicans are publicly divided over whether to support a presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, according to Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on April 22, 2026.¹

Comer, while stating that he personally opposes any deal, acknowledged in remarks reported by U.S. News & World Report and other outlets that “a lot of people” on his committee would support a pardon-for-testimony swap.¹²

The Pardon Proposal

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence for her conviction in December 2021 on five counts including sex trafficking of a minor. She is the only person beyond Jeffrey Epstein himself to have been criminally convicted in connection with his trafficking operation.

In February 2026, after months of defying a bipartisan congressional subpoena, Maxwell finally appeared for a deposition before the House Oversight Committee. She invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer substantive questions, according to multiple outlets that covered the deposition.³

Through her attorneys, Maxwell has signaled she would offer fuller testimony only in exchange for clemency from President Donald Trump.

Democratic Opposition

Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) issued a statement saying Democrats on the committee are “united in opposing any pardon” for Maxwell in exchange for testimony, according to the House Oversight Democrats’ official press release.⁴

Survivor advocate Annie Farmer, an Epstein accuser who testified at Maxwell’s 2021 trial, also publicly opposed the proposal, framing the question of trading clemency for testimony as one that lawmakers should consider in personal terms involving the women in their own lives.²

Republican Splits

The pardon discussion highlights an intra-party split that has been visible throughout the House Oversight Committee’s Epstein investigation. The original subpoena requiring former Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about her handling of the Epstein files passed in a bipartisan committee vote, with Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert, Tim Burchett, Michael Cloud, Nancy Mace, and Scott Perry crossing party lines to support compelling Bondi’s appearance.⁵

Several of those same Republicans have been outspoken in their support for full transparency in the Epstein case. None has publicly endorsed a Maxwell pardon, and Comer’s acknowledgment of internal division did not name specific colleagues open to the idea.

Context

The pardon debate comes amid mounting pressure on the Justice Department over its handling of the Epstein files. The DOJ Inspector General announced on April 23 that it has opened a probe into the department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Garcia has separately moved to pursue contempt of Congress charges against Bondi for failing to appear at her scheduled April 14 deposition.

President Trump has not publicly indicated whether he would grant a pardon to Maxwell. His Justice Department under Bondi held a closed-door meeting with Maxwell at a U.S. Attorney’s office in Tallahassee in July 2025, after which she was transferred from a low-security federal facility to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas.

References

1. U.S. News & World Report — “US House Oversight Members Divided on Ghislaine Maxwell Pardon, Chairman Says”

2. The Daily Beast — “Top Republican Confirms Lawmakers Considering Maxwell Pardon”

3. PBS NewsHour — “Epstein files fallout grows as Ghislaine Maxwell pleads Fifth before Congress”

4. House Oversight Democrats — “Ranking Member Robert Garcia Statement on Republicans Considering a Pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell”

5. The New Republic — “Some House Republicans Want Trump to Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell”