Sen. Jacky Rosen will introduce a resolution Thursday designed to put the Senate on record opposing the prospect of President Donald Trump granting a pardon or clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who is currently in prison.
The Nevada Democrat, in a statement first shared with POLITICO, said she wanted to “make sure the U.S. Senate sends a clear message to the White House that a convicted sex trafficker of minors should not receive any clemency.”
“If Leader Thune won’t bring this up for a recorded vote, I’ll do everything I can to try to bring this up for unanimous consent, as it’s my sincere hope we can all agree Ghislaine Maxwell should serve out her full sentence,” Rosen added.
Absent getting Republicans to agree to allowing a vote on her resolution, Rosen is discussing whether to try to approve it through a unanimous consent agreement after the Senate returns from next week’s scheduled recess.
Adoption would require an agreement from all 100 senators, however. And while there are Republicans who have clamored for more transparency in the Epstein case and accountability for Epstein’s co-conspirators, the measure would likely face at least one GOP objection. Though the Senate quickly cleared legislation last year to force the release of the Epstein files, Senate Republicans have batted down related follow-up efforts on the floor.
Though the resolution would be nonbinding, it would make the Senate’s official position against a pardon or clemency for Maxwell, which Republicans could see as boxing in Trump if he chooses that route.
The president has not ruled it out, and Rosen’s forthcoming resolution is expected to note that the president has refused to rule it out. It also is likely to quote Trump saying, in 2025, he is “allowed to do it, but it’s something [he has] not thought about.”
Maxwell’s attorneys have said his client will only testify under oath in exchange for clemency. Making good on that position, Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right earlier this month when she appeared over video in a deposition, in compliance with a congressional subpoena, before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
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