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Mike Johnson calls for 'great pause' on a Ghislaine Maxwell pardon, pushes for life sentence instead
US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson disagreed with Republicans who are floating the idea of granting a pardon or commutation to Ghislaine Maxwell as the Epstein scandal continues to rock the White House. While speaking to NBC News, Johnson said that he would have a 'great pause' about taking such measures.
The remarks from the Republican speaker are coming at a time when many of the House representatives from his party suggested that the option to pardon Maxwell should be considered as part of an effort to obtain more information about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. For weeks, US President Donald Trump and his allies, including Johnson himself, have been under immense pressure to disclose more information about Epstein.
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Johnson's take on the matter came after Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, met with Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, over two days last week. The former British socialite was Epstein's close confidante for years and his partner-in-crime, literally. The case became more complicated after Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019.
I think she should have a life sentence: Johnson
While speaking to NBC News on the matter, the House Speaker pushed for a life sentence for Maxwell instead. 'If you're asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance. I think she should have a life sentence at least. I mean, think of all these unspeakable crimes,' he said.
'It's hard to put into words how evil this was, and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it, at least under the criminal sanction, I think, is an unforgivable thing. So again, not my decision, but I have great pause about that, as any reasonable person would,' he added.
When pressed further about whether he would favour a pardon, Johnson deferred to Trump. 'Obviously, that's a decision of the president. He said he had not adequately considered that. I won't get it in front of him. That's not my lane,' he said.
It is pertinent to note that House Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has been pushing for disclosure of more Epstein information, said a pardon should be on the table for Maxwell. 'That would be up to the president. But if she has information that could help us, then I think she should testify. Let's get that out there. And whatever they need to do to compel that testimony, as long as it's truthful, I would be in favour of,' he told Welker on Meet the Press.
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California Democrat Ro Khanna, who has joined Massie's effort to release more information, said he did not support a pardon for Maxwell, who was charged with perjury in connection with a civil deposition in 2016. However, prosecutors did not move forward with those charges once they obtained her sex-trafficking conviction.
'I'm concerned that the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, is meeting with her supposedly one-on-one. Look, I agree with Congressman Massie that she should testify. But she's been indicted twice on perjury. This is why we need the files. This is why we need independent evidence,' Khanna told NBC News. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the Trump team would approach the matter.
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