Only 6 Of 25 GOP Committee Members Say Ghislaine Maxwell Shouldn’t Be Pardoned

BreakingBusinessOnly 8 Of 26 GOP Committee Members Say Ghislaine Maxwell Shouldn’t Be PardonedBySara Dorn,Forbes Staff. Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics.Follow AuthorApr 25, 2026, 01:08pm EDTApr 25, 2026, 05:08pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineRepublicans on the House Oversight Committee are mostly silent about whether President Donald Trump should pardon Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell in the wake of a report this week that some were open to leniency in exchange for her cooperation with the committee. Ghislaine Maxwell attends Polo Ralph Lauren's Victories of Athlete Ally at the Polo Ralph Lauren Store on November 3, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesKey FactsForbes contacted the offices of all 25 rank-and-file GOP members of the committee asking if they support a pardon, and six—Reps. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, William Timmons, R-S.C., Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Clay Higgins, R-La., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.—replied to say they are against it. Rep. John McGuire’s, R-Va., office declined to comment, and at least two other members, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., have said previously they’re against a pardon.The Oversight Committee is conducting a probe into Epstein and earlier this year interviewed Maxwell, who repeatedly pleaded the fifth; the committee doesn’t have pardoning power, but could pressure Trump to grant Maxwell some leniency. At least one member, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., has publicly expressed some openness to pardoning Maxwell, saying last year that reducing Maxwell’s sentence could give the committee some “leverage” in extracting a truthful testimony, calling her a “liar” and a “dirtbag.” It’s unclear who on the committee supports a pardon—Comer told Politico this wee...