...
By Khaleda Rahman and Shane Croucher
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert sharply rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's call for clemency, saying that the convicted former associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein should be in jail for longer and in harsher conditions.
Maxwell pleaded the Fifth on Monday during her testimony before Congress via videolink. But Maxwell's lawyer said she is willing to speak openly about Epstein if President Donald Trump grants her clemency.
"I think Ghislaine Maxwell should get more time and she should definitely be in a harsher prison than what she's in. It's absolutely disgusting," Boebert said.
Read More on Politics
Boebert made the comments after she and other lawmakers visited a Justice Department office on Monday to look through unredacted versions of the files on Epstein that the department released to comply with a law passed by Congress last year.
Boebert indicated she would be back to view more files on Tuesday. She said there are "folks who are definitely implicated and co-conspirators" and "I don't think everyone there that was talking about underage girls being trafficked are victims."
...
Why It Matters
The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee had wanted Maxwell to answer questions as it investigates how Epstein, a well-connected financier, was able to sexually abuse underage girls for years.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison camp in Texas after being convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be abused by Epstein. She was quietly moved from a federal prison in Florida to the low-security prison camp last year after she participated in interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Her lawyers asked a federal judge in December to vacate or amend her sentence, arguing that "substantial new evidence" showed she did not receive a fair trial after the Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal. But she could also be freed if Trump grants her a presidential pardon, which he has repeatedly not ruled out.
Epstein died in a federal jail in New York in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. The case has long drawn scrutiny due to Epstein’s connections to some of the world’s most powerful people.
What To Know
During the closed-door deposition, Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus cited the pending habeas petition seeking to have Maxwell’s conviction overturned as the reason she “must remain silent.”
But he told the committee that Maxwell “is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”
He added that both Trump and former President Bill Clinton—who had past social and travel links to Epstein but has denied any knowledge of or involvement in his crimes, and has never been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims—“are innocent of any wrongdoing” and that Maxwell “alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation.”
Asked for comment about Maxwell’s appeal on Monday, the White House referred Newsweek to Trump’s comments in November about whether or not he has ruled out a pardon for Maxwell.
Trump told reporters at the time that he hadn’t “even thought about it.”
He said: “I haven’t thought about it for months. Maybe I haven’t thought about it at all. I don’t rule it in or out, I don’t even think about it.”
Several Republicans and Democrats slammed Maxwell’s efforts to have Trump end her prison sentence.
Representative Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat who is on the House Oversight Committee, said that Maxwell “seems to be making it clear to Donald Trump that he can buy her silence with clemency."
Florida Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna, wrote on X that Maxwell is “an ACCOMPLICE and deserves to be treated, charged and punished as such.”
What People Are Saying
Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Marks said in a statement before the House Oversight Committee on Monday: “On my advice, Ghislaine Maxwell will respectfully invoke her Fifth Amendment right to silence and decline to answer questions today even though she would very much like to answer your questions. She must remain silent because Ms. Maxwell has a habeas petition currently pending that demonstrates that her conviction rests on a fundamentally unfair trial.”
He added: “If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path. Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump. Only she can provide the complete account. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation. Thank you."
Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert said on Monday: “I think that there’s folks who are definitely implicated and co-conspirators. And you know, I don't think everyone there that was talking about underage girls being trafficked, are victims.”
Asked if she supported clemency for Maxwell, Boebert said: “I do not. I think Ghislaine Maxwell should get more time and she should definitely be in a harsher prison than what she's in. It's absolutely disgusting.”
Kentucky Republican Representative James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, told reporters on Monday: “As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions. This obviously is very disappointing. We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed as well as questions abut potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get to the truth of the American people and justice for the survivors. That's what this investigation is about.”
California Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said in a statement: “After months of defying our subpoena, Ghislaine Maxwell finally appeared before the Oversight Committee and said nothing. She answered no questions and provided no information about the men who raped and trafficked women and girls. Who is she protecting? And we need to know why she’s been given special treatment at a low security prison by the Trump Administration. We are going to end this White House cover-up.”
What Happens Next
Boebert and other lawmakers are expected to continue viewing unredacted versions of the Epstein files on Tuesday.
Update, 02/10/2026, 9:47 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not "both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations. Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines