The late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime close associate Ghislaine Maxwell, herself convicted and serving time for sex-trafficking and related charges, disappointed interrogators and observers when she pleaded the fifth in a deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday. But her attorneys say there is one thing that could make her talk: a pardon from President Donald Trump.
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Trump has come under scrutiny over his documented ties to Epstein and the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files—documents related to the investigation into the disgraced financier. The President, who has maintained that he never visited Epstein’s private island or committed wrongdoing, could now have an opportunity to clear his name, Maxwell’s attorneys said on Monday.
“Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” attorney David Oscar Markus said in a statement during the deposition, which he posted on X. “Only she can provide the complete account. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing.”
“Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation,” Markus added.
Maxwell refused to answer a single question posed by House Oversight Committee chair Rep. James Comer (R, Ky.) or the rest of the panel, with Markus citing a pending habeas petition “that demonstrates that her conviction rests on a fundamentally unfair trial.”
Trump has previously reserved the possibility of pardoning Maxwell. During a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July, Trump told reporters that he is “allowed” to pardon Maxwell, “but it’s something I have not thought about.”
“I’m allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody’s approached me with it,” the President said. The White House has yet to respond to Maxwell’s new request.
TIME has reached out to the White House and Markus, Maxwell’s attorney, for comment.
Democratic lawmakers condemn Maxwell’s plea
Democrats in the House Oversight Committee denounced Maxwell’s request for a presidential pardon and suggested that Trump’s refusal to rule out such a possibility has hampered the committee’s inquiry.
“She is campaigning over and over again to get that pardon from President Trump, and this president has not ruled it out,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D, Va.) said. “And so that is why she is continuing to not cooperate with our investigation.”
“We will not allow this silence to stand,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D, N.M.) said.
The committee first subpoenaed Maxwell in July. In August, the committee issued subpoenas seeking testimony from former government officials, including the Clintons, after House Democrats and some Republicans voted to subpoena the Justice Department and the Epstein estate for records related to the Epstein investigation
Read More: Under Threat of Contempt, Clintons Agree to Testify in Epstein Inquiry
Comer called Maxwell’s silence on Monday “very disappointing,” noting that the committee “had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators.”
But some are also warning that any testimony from Maxwell should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Before Maxwell’s virtual appearance before the committee, a group of Epstein survivors urged the panel to approach her testimony “with utmost skepticism, to rigorously scrutinize any claims she makes, and to ensure that this process does not become another vehicle through which survivors are harmed or silenced.” In a letter sent to the committee, the group accused Maxwell of having previously lied under oath and refused to cooperate with the investigation.
Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in August that she did not recall ever seeing Trump at Epstein’s house, according to an interview transcript published by the DOJ. But emails released by Congress in November appeared to show that Epstein told Maxwell that Trump had spent “hours” at his house.
“Truth, accountability, and transparency must be the priority—not the rehabilitation of a convicted trafficker’s narrative,” the letter from survivors said.
Maxwell’s deposition coincided with the Justice Department releasing the unredacted versions of previously released Epstein files to members of Congress. The DOJ had come under fire for delaying its release of all files past a Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress and for making heavy-handed redactions without explanation in some places while leaving references to victims unredacted in others. After viewing the files, lawmakers on Monday criticized the DOJ for failing to provide a required explanation for its redactions, and accused the department of redacting names of people believed to be implicated in the case against Epstein.
Read More: Trump Officials Redacted Epstein Files to Protect ‘Prominent’ Individuals, Lawmakers Allege
“I think that the Department of Justice has been in a cover-up mode for many months and has been trying to sweep the entire thing under the rug,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D, Md.) told reporters.
The Trump Administration has also been criticized over officials’ ties to Epstein and Maxwell.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick faced calls to resign over the weekend after documents appeared to show that he had planned a visit to Epstein’s island in 2012. Lutnick had previously said that he cut ties with Epstein around 2005. When asked by the New York Times, Lutnick declined to comment on the visit but said he “spent zero time” with Epstein.
What Trump has said about a potential pardon
The President can grant clemency for federal criminal convictions, so Trump has the ability to pardon Maxwell. Trump has been liberal in issuing presidential pardons to controversial figures, including to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao who pled guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws; former Puerto Rican governor Wanda Vázquez Garced, who was convicted in a federal corruption case; and former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted over conspiring with drug traffickers. Trump also granted blanket clemency to all 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
But granting Maxwell a pardon amid the political firestorm over the Epstein files, even if Maxwell presented evidence to clear his name, would likely be the most contentious.
Read More: Will Trump Pardon Child Sex Trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell? Here’s What We Know
Trump has sent well wishes to Maxwell on several occasions in the past, including after her arrest in 2020. He told reporters in July that year that he had “met her numerous times over the years” and said “I wish her well, whatever it is.” Three months later, he doubled down in an interview with Axios, saying “I wish her well. I’d wish you well. I’d wish a lot of people well. Good luck. Let them prove somebody was guilty.” When asked why he would send good luck to someone arrested on child sex trafficking charges, Trump said, “Well, first of all, I don’t know that.”
At the July 2025 meeting with Starmer, Trump told reporters it would be “inappropriate” to talk about a pardon for Maxwell, although he’s “allowed” to grant her one.
In August, Maxwell was moved from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security women’s prison in Texas after she was interviewed by Blanche, sparking outcry from Democrats over alleged preferential treatment.
In October, Trump appeared to leave the door open to considering a pardon. He said he would “have to take a look” at any application Maxwell submits before deciding, telling CNN that he had not “heard that name in so long.” When asked about the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear Maxwell’s motion for appeal, he said he would “take a look at it” and “speak to the DOJ.”
“I wouldn’t consider it or not consider it. I don’t know anything about it,” he said.
In November, Trump told reporters that he had not “even thought about” whether he would pardon Maxwell.
“I haven’t thought about it for months. Maybe I haven’t thought about it at all,” Trump said. “I don’t rule it in or out, I don’t even think about it.”
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