Ghislaine Maxwell, willing to negotiate Trump's pardon

LondonGhislaine Maxwell's videoconference appearance Monday before the U.S. House Oversight Committee ended without any revelations but with unanimous condemnation from Democratic members of Congress. Maxwell is using her silence to negotiate a "clemency measure" with President Donald Trump, said Robert Garcia, a representative from California, at a press conference following the failed testimony. "Looking robotic," in the words of Suhas Subramanyam, a congressman from Virginia, Maxwell systematically invoked the Fifth Amendment—which allows an accused person to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination—by not answering any of the questions posed to her. According to the lawmakers, this is not "an ordinary legal defense strategy, but a direct message to the White House."

However, Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, has asserted that Maxwell is willing to speak and "offer the full story," provided Trump grants her a presidential pardon. "If this Committee and the American people truly want to know the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a clear and direct path. Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if President Trump grants her clemency," he wrote to X.

"Some may not like what they hear." He also asserted that both Trump and Bill Clinton "are innocent of any wrongdoing." "Only Ms. Maxwell can explain why, and the public has a right to that explanation," he maintained.

New Mexico Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury was emphatic as she left the courtroom: "It's clear she used this opportunity not only to campaign for clemency, as she's already been doing, but also to send a direct message that she hopes those present at the statement will convey to the president: that his silence..." Stansbury sees Maxwell as "desperate" at the prospect of spending the rest of her life behind bars.

Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice and associate is serving a sentence twenty years in prison in a Texas prison for having participated in the sex trafficking and prostitution network orchestrated by the financier for three decades. This thesis has been seconded by other members of the committee, who have described Maxwell not as a reluctant witness, but as an "enforcer" who continues to protect the powerful in exchange for her freedom.

Faced with what they consider an attempt at institutional bribery, the congressmen have demanded that President Donald Trump close the door once and for all to any prison benefits for Maxwell. The rhetoric used by the legislators was unsparing, as they repeatedly referred to her as a "monster," as Congressman Garcia defined her. "President Trump could put an end to this today. Could he rule out clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, the monster? Could he rule out a pardon? The question for all of us today is: Why hasn't he? And why won't he?" The goal of the congressional investigation is to shed light on Epstein's web of influence, a case that Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett has described as "the biggest sex trafficking and influence-peddling scandal in U.S. history." The representatives' frustration stems from the vast amount of information that is still being hidden or protected by the Department of Justice.

According to data provided by Congresswoman Stansbury, the volume of information linking the current president to the case is enormous. There are at least 38,000 mentions of President Trump in the files released on January 30th. However, lawmakers claim that these mentions represent only half of the documents in the Justice Department's possession. The investigation by those they represent aims to clarify who the high-level accomplices are who participated in the sex trafficking ring orchestrated by Epstein. The investigation, according to Crockett, points to at least "more than three dozen associates, family members, and members of the Trump administration" who appear in the documents, including names like Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick, and Steve Bannon.

Fraudulent Maneuver

It was this African American congresswoman who described the request as a habeas corpus Crockett described Maxwell's actions as a "fraudulent maneuver" to avoid answering questions. She has strongly criticized the Republican administration for, according to her, protecting pedophiles and attempting to deflect attention during Black History Month in the United States with racist actions, such as the video Trump posted on his social media in which It made the Obamas look like apes.

"As a lawyer, I wondered exactly what his plan was, if the idea was to invoke the Fifth Amendment. He did it only to use it as an excuse not to answer more questions," Crockett also said, adding that ""It seems this administration in general doesn't care." "All they care about is protecting the powerful and protecting pedophiles," she stated.

The appearance of Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, former Florida Attorney General, and key figure in Epstein's initial agreementsThe hearing is eagerly anticipated, although Democrats accuse the committee chairman, James Comer, of "playing politics to protect the White House." Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, former Secretary of State in Obama's first administration, are also scheduled to testify later this month. Ultimately, the congressmen have made it clear that the battle for the truth is not over. "This isn't about partisanship. This is about finding what's right against what's wrong," concluded Robert Garcia, who insisted that they will continue investigating the files released by the Justice Department until they discover who the "men Maxwell is still trying to protect with her silence" are.