House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he wants to know “every bit of information” that convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has, but stopped short of endorsing a pardon to achieve that end.
The House Oversight Committee under Chairman James Comer (R-KY) subpoenaed Maxwell for her testimony about her late confidante and boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein.
Attorney General Pam Bondi teased releasing Epstein’s client list, but neither her office nor the FBI has done so, prompting backlash. As a result, Justice Department and House investigations have turned to Maxwell, Johnson said Sunday on NBC News’s Meet the Press.
“I hope that she would want to come clean,” Johnson said of Maxwell. “She is convicted. She is serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking, and so her character is in some question, but if she wants to come clean now, that is of great service to the country.”
“We’d like to know every bit of information that she has. I certainly hope she’s telling the truth,” Johnson added.
President Donald Trump said he’s “allowed to” pardon Maxwell, but admitted the idea hadn’t occurred to him. Responding to Trump’s comments, Johnson on Sunday said a pardon was not his decision to make, but admitted he felt a “great pause” about pardoning Maxwell.
“I think 20 years was a pittance,” Johnson said of Maxwell’s sentence. “I think she should have a life sentence, at least. Think about the unspeakable crimes, and as you noted earlier, probably a thousand victims. It’s hard to put into words how evil this was.”
GHISLAINE MAXWELL GRANTED LIMITED IMMUNITY TO MEET WITH DOJ
“And that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it, at least under the criminal sanction, I think is an unforgivable thing,” Johnson continued.
Maxwell has long disputed her conviction, citing a 2007 plea deal Epstein made with federal prosecutors that allegedly precluded the prosecution of his co-conspirators.