This House resolution says Ghislaine Maxwell should not get a pardon, commutation, or other clemency from the President. It notes Maxwell was convicted on December 29, 2021, in the Southern District of New York on multiple counts related to sexual abuse and trafficking of minors. The resolution says evidence showed she helped groom and lure young girls and that she was sentenced on June 28, 2022, to 20 years in prison plus 5 years of supervised release and is in federal custody. The text states Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell participated in or facilitated sexual abuse of hundreds of children and says childhood sexual abuse and sex trafficking cause long-term harm. The resolution condemns those crimes, stands with victims, affirms that Maxwell's conviction and sentence were warranted, and formally opposes any clemency for Maxwell. It also notes public speculation about a possible pardon and quotes the Constitution giving the President pardon power.
If the House adopts this resolution, it records the House's formal opposition to clemency for Maxwell. The resolution expresses the views of the House and states opposition to a pardon or commutation. The text also acknowledges the President's constitutional power to grant pardons. The resolution itself does not change the President's constitutional authority. The resolution was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
No publicly available information.
Supporters say the resolution condemns child sexual abuse and sex trafficking, stands with survivors, and affirms that Maxwell's conviction and sentence were supported by the facts presented at trial. They argue that granting clemency would deny survivors justice and that ongoing imprisonment is the only available measure of justice now that Jeffrey Epstein is deceased.
No publicly available information on organized opponents to this resolution. The text notes that the President has constitutional authority to grant pardons and that the framers intended that power in part to address miscarriages of justice; some who favor clemency could point to that constitutional authority.