Ghislaine Maxwell Loses Pardon Battle: Senate Unanimously Agrees to Keep Epstein's Former Madam Behind Bars
Ghislaine Maxwell's chances of getting a pardon took a hit on July 29.
July 29 2026, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
The Senate unanimously agreed that Ghislaine Maxwell, the former lover of Jeffrey Epstein, should not be granted a presidential pardon or clemency of any kind, RadarOnline.com can report.
The non-binding resolution comes as politicians debate confirming Todd Blanche, who interviewed Maxwell for two days last summer, as the permanent Attorney General.
The Senate Stands United Against a Pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell
Jeffrey Epstein's former madam has been asking for a presidential pardon from her prison.
The resolution was brought by Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, who said it was to prevent Blanche from giving Maxwell a pardon in exchange for clearing President Trump's name.
"It's frankly horrifying that Trump would entertain the idea of clemency for even a second for a convicted s-x trafficker," Rosen said in a speech on the Senate floor.
Rosen was given unanimous consent for her resolution, receiving no opposition on the floor from either side of the aisle.
"If Republicans advance Todd Blanche's nomination tomorrow in the Judiciary Committee, this is the least they can do to make their opposition to a Maxwell pardon clear," she said.
Insiders Warned Granting a Pardon Would Be a 'PR Problem'
The Senate voted unanimously to oppose any possible pardon.
Trump, who has denied any criminal connection to Epstein, wants to remove the "acting" label from Blanche's title, and has urged lawmakers to confirm him as the permanent Attorney General.
The 51-year-old took over the role from the fired Pam Bondi.
However, some politicos are worried he could use his new power to clear Maxwell of any wrongdoing.
"Pardoning Maxwell, a trafficker of young girls, would create a huge PR problem," White House communications director Steven Cheung is quoted as saying in the book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.
Authors Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan wrote that in the wake of a pardon, Epstein accusers "would be fanning out on TV, telling their stories and ripping the administration to shreds."
White House Staffers Don't Want to Feed 'Conspiracy Theories'
Maxwell is serving 20 years in prison for trafficking minors.
Former White House deputy chief of staff James Blair concurred, as the book noted he said, "We can’t offer Ghislaine Maxwell anything."
"A, I don’t know why we would. And B, if we give Ghislaine Maxwell any sort of break whatsoever and then she turns around and says nice things about us, or says nice things about us and we give her a break, it will undermine the entire point of her saying good things," he continued.
"That will feed the conspiracy theory, period," he added, according to the tell-all. "If there’s nothing for her to say that hurts us, we shouldn’t have to offer her anything."
President Trump's Stance on a Pardon
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
She has argued she wasn't given the same sweetheart deal as other Epstein co-conspirators.
Maxwell was sentenced to prison in 2022 on five counts. She has denied any wrongdoing and has appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn her convictions.
Her legal team filed a petition last year, arguing that charges filed against her in 2020 violated an agreement Epstein made with federal prosecutors in 2008. In the court filing, Maxwell alleges 25 men reached undisclosed agreements, while four additional co-conspirators were known to investigators but were not charged.
The 64-year-old has argued that the alleged concealment of these deals undermined the fairness of her trial and violated her constitutional rights. Her final chance at freedom is now up to President Trump, who could pardon the convict if he chooses to, something he has teased in the past.
When the 80-year-old was asked if he would ever consider a pardon for Maxwell, he told reporters: "Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon, but I – nobody’s approached me with it. Nobody's asked me about it. It's in the news about that, that aspect of it, but right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it."
