Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told the Senate on Tuesday that he will not recommend clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker serving 20 years for her role in Jeffrey Epstein's abuse operation.
Blanche made the commitment during testimony before the appropriations subcommittee on the Justice Department's budget. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, directly asked whether the department would pledge against recommending a pardon for Maxwell. Blanche answered affirmatively without hesitation.
The statement carries weight given the mounting speculation around Maxwell's potential clemency. Earlier this year, House oversight committee members publicly divided over whether President Trump might pardon her in exchange for cooperation on the Epstein investigation. Maxwell herself signaled openness to such a deal when she refused to answer questions before the same committee, with her attorney stating she would only testify if granted clemency.
Maxwell has exhausted her legal appeals. The Supreme Court declined to hear her case in October, leaving her 20-year sentence intact for her role in grooming underage girls for Epstein to abuse over more than a decade.
Last year, Blanche, then deputy attorney general, personally interviewed Maxwell over two days in July. The Justice Department subsequently released transcripts and audio recordings from that meeting as the Trump administration faced pressure to disclose more documents on the Epstein case. Blanche denied during Tuesday's hearing that Trump sent him personally to conduct the interview.
Shortly after that meeting, Maxwell was transferred from a low-security facility in Tallahassee, Florida, to a minimum-security camp in Texas. Prison experts at the time called the move unprecedented. Reports since then have suggested she is receiving favorable treatment at the Texas facility, where most inmates are serving time for non-violent or white-collar offenses.
When pressed on whether Maxwell was receiving better treatment, Blanche said he was unsure of her current prison conditions.
The possibility of any clemency has stirred fierce resistance from survivors and their advocates. Spencer Kuvin, chief legal officer at a firm representing multiple Epstein victims, warned that offering Maxwell clemency in exchange for testimony would pervert justice by rewarding someone instrumental in enabling abuse.
Author James Rodriguez: "Blanche's public stance should settle the clemency question, but the timing and framing matter, and skeptics have reason to watch closely."
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