Overview
- Committee chairman James Comer said Wednesday that many on the panel favor a Trump pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her testimony, though he opposes any deal.
- Democrats led by Ranking Member Robert Garcia said a pardon would insult survivors and called the idea part of a cover‑up, and victims’ attorneys dismissed Maxwell as unreliable.
- Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions in a February deposition by invoking the Fifth Amendment, and her lawyer says she will testify publicly only if granted clemency.
- Only the president can issue a federal pardon, and Trump has not ruled one out in past comments as the White House has offered no commitment.
- Some Republicans are distancing themselves, with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna saying the votes are not there and that she does not support a pardon.