Ghislaine Maxwell Offers to Exonerate Trump in Epstein Probe in Exchange for Clemency
In a dramatic turn of events during a virtual deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination but offered a conditional path to cooperation. Through her attorney, Maxwell communicated a willingness to provide full testimony—specifically offering to clear President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing regarding his association with Jeffrey Epstein—if she is granted a presidential pardon or clemency.
The deposition, part of a renewed congressional investigation into the Epstein scandal, saw Maxwell refuse to answer specific questions from lawmakers about the operation of Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring. However, her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, delivered a prepared statement that explicitly linked her cooperation to executive relief. Markus stated that if the President were to grant her clemency, Maxwell would testify that “President Trump is innocent of any wrongdoing” and provide a “complete account” that would also purportedly exonerate former President Bill Clinton.
This conditional offer has intensified scrutiny on the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Critics and legal observers have raised immediate objections, characterizing the proposal as a brazen attempt to leverage sensitive information for freedom. Democratic lawmakers on the committee, including Rep. Melanie Stansbury, accused the administration of potentially engaging in a “quid-pro-quo,” suggesting that the offer amounts to “buying silence” rather than seeking justice. They point to the timing of the offer, which comes shortly after Maxwell was transferred to a low-security federal prison in Texas and following a private meeting between Maxwell and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last year.
The backdrop to this development is Maxwell’s 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. Her legal avenues have narrowed significantly after the Supreme Court recently declined to hear her appeal, leaving a presidential pardon as her primary hope for early release. President Trump has not definitively ruled out the possibility, having previously told reporters he “would take a look at it” and acknowledging that he is “allowed” to grant her a pardon. This latest move by Maxwell places the decision directly in the political spotlight, forcing the administration to choose between the transparency promised to Epstein’s victims and a politically charged deal with one of the scandal’s central figures.
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