U.S. Senate unanimously opposes clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell

U.S. Senate unanimously opposes clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell addresses the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door video deposition during their meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., 9 February 2026.
Reuters

The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution opposing any presidential pardon or clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The measure, introduced by Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada, comes amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump could consider granting clemency to Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking-related offences.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Rosen said it would be "horrifying" for the president to consider clemency for a convicted sex trafficker.

While the resolution carries no legal force, it signals broad bipartisan opposition in Congress to any move that would reduce or overturn Maxwell's sentence.

Rosen also criticised acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over his handling of the Epstein files. Blanche has said he would not recommend clemency for Maxwell, although Trump has declined to rule out the possibility.

Release of Epstein files

Maxwell was convicted by a U.S. federal court in 2022 for helping Jeffrey Epstein recruit and abuse underage girls. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes including sex trafficking.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.

The vote comes after the U.S. Justice Department released more than three million pages of documents, along with thousands of videos and images, under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law in November.

The newly released materials include photographs, grand jury transcripts and investigative records, although many documents remain heavily redacted.

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