Johnson on talk of Maxell pardon: ’20 years was a pittance’
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) weighed in on talk of a possible pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, saying the 20-year sentence she received for conspiring with the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse minors was not harsh enough.
Johnson said during an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” that it’s up to President Trump to determine whether the former Epstein associate’s cooperation is worthy of a pardon or commutation.
“If you’re asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance. I think she should have a life sentence at least,” Johnson told NBC News’s Kristen Welker.
“Think of all these unspeakable crimes, and, as you noted earlier, probably 1,000 victims,” Johnson continued. “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.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell for two days late last week amid calls for greater transparency surrounding the Epstein case. While some have suggested her testimony is invaluable, others have expressed concern about the reliability of her testimony, noting she is accused of making multiple false statements under oath during her 2021 trial.
Trump did not rule out the possibility of pardoning Maxwell, when asked about it last week, but said he has not given it much thought.
“It’s something I haven’t thought about it. I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about,” Trump told reporters when asked about a possible pardon or clemency for Maxwell.
“I certainly can’t talk about pardons,” he later added, while leaving the White House for a trip to Scotland.
When first asked in the NBC interview about a possible pardon, Johnson deferred to the president.
“Well, I mean, obviously that’s a decision of the president. He said he had not adequately considered that. I won’t get in front of him. That’s not my lane. My lane is to help direct and control the House of Representatives and to use every tool within our arsenal to get to the truth,” Johnson said.
Johnson also stressed House Republicans’ desire for transparency and said he hopes Maxwell is telling the truth.
“I hope so. I hope that she would want to come clean,” Johnson said, when asked whether Maxwell can be trusted. “We certainly are interested in knowing everything that she knows. And as you’ll note, in our House Republican majority, we’re working towards that.”
He noted that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has issued a subpoena for Maxwell’s testimony and hopes to bring in the former Epstein associate to speak before the committee.
“I hope she’s telling the truth. She is convicted. She is serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking, and so her character is in some question,” Johnson said. “But if she wants to come clean now, that would be a great service to the country, and we’d like to know every single bit of information that she has. I certainly hope she’s telling the truth.”