Epstein associate, sex trafficker Maxwell asks Trump for pardon

Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has asked US President Donald Trump for clemency, saying she would testify before Congress if pardoned, as lawmakers intensify investigations into individuals connected to the late financier, child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell, the longtime associate and former girlfriend of Epstein, refused to answer questions from the US House Oversight Committee during a deposition on February 9, invoking her Fifth Amendment rights. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison camp in Texas following her conviction for sex trafficking, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

In a video released by the committee, Maxwell appeared via video call and declined to respond to questions about Epstein’s network and the facilitation of abuse. Her attorney, David Oscar Markus, told lawmakers that “Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”

Markus added that the President and former President Bill Clinton “are innocent of any wrongdoing,” arguing that only “Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation.”

Lawmakers are seeking to identify individuals who may have assisted Epstein in abusing underage girls. Both Clinton and Trump are known to have spent time with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump is mentioned more than 1,000 times in recently released Epstein-related documents, though no criminal allegations have been made against him.

Renewed scrutiny of Maxwell follows the recent release of millions of documents related to the Epstein case. Lawmakers are investigating how Epstein abused girls who appeared as young as 11, according to a lawsuit filed by the government of the US Virgin Islands.

Ghislaine Maxwell is the only person convicted of crimes related to the Epstein case. In 2021, Maxwell was convicted of trafficking underage girls to Epstein, who had connections to influential businessmen, politicians, celebrities, and academics. Jeffrey Epstein himself was found dead in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.

By Sabina Mammadli