The Senate just told the White House, in unison, to keep its hands off Ghislaine Maxwell's sentence. In a unanimous voice vote Wednesday, senators approved a resolution opposing any presidential pardon or clemency for Maxwell, the Jeffrey Epstein associate serving 20 years for sex trafficking-related crimes, the Hill reports. The measure, introduced by
Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, is symbolic and not legally binding, but it puts both parties on record against leniency for Maxwell. "It's frankly horrifying that Trump would entertain the idea of clemency for even a second for a convicted sex trafficker," Rosen said on the Senate floor.
"It's my sincere hope we can all agree Ghislaine Maxwell should serve out her full sentence," Rosen said when she introduced the resolution in February. She described it Wednesday as a preemptive move aimed at acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, whom President Trump has nominated to stay in the job; she warned against any deal in which Maxwell might receive clemency in return for statements clearing Trump of wrongdoing. The resolution states that a "pardon, commutation, or any other form of executive clemency" would be "inconsistent with the interests of justice and accountability for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children."
Blanche, who previously interviewed Maxwell and oversaw her transfer to a lower-security facility, has said he will not recommend a pardon. After the Supreme Court declined to consider her appeal last year, Trump was asked if he would consider a pardon. "You know, I haven't heard the name in so long," he said, per the Guardian. "I can say this: that I'd have to take a look at it. I would have to take a look." Trump added: "I wouldn't consider it or not consider—I don't know anything about it. I will speak to the DOJ." Maxwell's attorney says she'll keep pursuing clemency. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the 64-year-old is due to be released on July 17, 2037.
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