The Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday declaring that Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker who aided Jeffrey Epstein‘s abuse of underage girls, should never receive a presidential pardon.
- Why it matters: Democrats wanted to put every Republican senator on record as opposed to a potential pardon.
- By failing to object to Sen. Jacky Rosen’s resolution, Republicans agreed that the president “should not grant a pardon, commutation, or any other form of executive clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell,” according to the resolution.
- “The Senate stands with the victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking and affirms its commitment to justice, accountability, and the protection of children.”
- Senate resolutions like these are symbolic and non-binding. Last week, the Senate passed a similar resolution about any pardon or clemency for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
Zoom out: President Trump has never categorically ruled out a pardon for Maxwell, but he has not given any indication that he plans to issue one.
- After the Supreme Court declined to hear Maxwell’s appeal in October 2025, Trump was pressed on a potential pardon.
- “Well, I’ll take a look at it. I wouldn’t consider it or not consider it. I don’t know anything about it. I will speak to the DOJ,” he said.
Zoom in: In May, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told senators that he would not recommend a pardon.
- Blanche personally interviewed Maxwell last year as part of the Justice Department’s Epstein investigation, fueling speculation the administration might offer clemency in exchange for cooperation.
