PETITION TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS
We the Undersigned Demand: No Presidential Pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell
 
To: The Members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate
Re: Opposition to Any Presidential Pardon, Commutation, or Clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell
Date: April 2026

 
PREAMBLE
We, the undersigned citizens of the United States of America, write to you today with one clear and urgent demand:

• Do not support, recommend, or remain silent in the face of any effort to pardon, commute the sentence of, or grant any form of clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell.
• We call upon every member of Congress — regardless of party — to use the full weight of your office to publicly oppose any such action, to make your opposition known to the White House, and to stand unequivocally on the side of justice and the survivors of one of the most heinous child sex trafficking operations in American history. 

THE FACTS
In December 2021, after a monthlong federal jury trial in the Southern District of New York, Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on five federal counts, including:

 - Sex trafficking of a minor
 - Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
 - Three related conspiracy charges

In June 2022, she was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Her conviction was subsequently upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In October 2025, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal — exhausting every legal avenue available to her.

Maxwell was not a bystander. She was a central architect of Jeffrey Epstein's decades-long criminal enterprise — recruiting, grooming, and facilitating the sexual abuse of vulnerable girls and young women. Four survivors testified against her at trial. Countless others carry the weight of what she helped do to them.

She is exactly where the law, the evidence, and the jury of her peers said she should be.

 
WHY WE ARE PETITIONING NOW
Reports have emerged that some members of the House Oversight Committee are open to supporting a presidential pardon for Maxwell in exchange for her testimony in the Epstein investigation. Maxwell's own attorney has publicly stated there is a "good chance" of a pardon. President Trump has not ruled out the possibility, having said he would "take a look" at a pardon after the Supreme Court rejected Maxwell's final appeal — and the White House has declined to directly answer whether he is actively considering one.

This is unacceptable.

Maxwell was subpoenaed to testify before the House Oversight Committee. In February 2026, she appeared — and then invoked her Fifth Amendment right, refusing to answer substantive questions. She has shown no meaningful cooperation, no genuine remorse, and no regard for the survivors whose lives she helped destroy.

A pardon in exchange for testimony would be a corrupt bargain — one that rewards a convicted child sex trafficker for the very cooperation she has already refused to provide voluntarily. As Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene warned, if pardoned, Maxwell "will owe Trump and she will lie to protect people he asks her to." As Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote directly to the DOJ: "It is unacceptable that DOJ would be engaging at all with such an outrageous request."

We reject this bargain entirely.

 
THE VOICE OF A SURVIVOR
Above all political arguments, above all legal analysis, there are real human beings whose lives were shattered by Ghislaine Maxwell. Annie Farmer — one of Maxwell and Epstein's own victims and a witness at Maxwell's trial — asked the question that every member of Congress must answer:

"My sister Maria Farmer risked everything to report Ghislaine Maxwell, and I was asked by our government to be a witness against Maxwell at trial. Could you live with knowing that you've chosen to put a felon — who recruited, groomed, and threatened underage girls and young women — above survivors?"

We stand with Annie Farmer. We stand with every survivor. And we are asking you to do the same.

 
WHAT WE ARE DEMANDING
We call upon Congress to take the following actions:

1. Publicly and unequivocally oppose any pardon, commutation, or clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell. Do not hedge. Do not remain neutral. As Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, stated: "She is a sexual abuser who facilitated the rape of women and children. This is a shameful way to treat survivors."  We agree — and we expect every member of Congress to say so clearly.
2. Formally communicate your opposition to the White House. Use the power of your office to make clear to the President that pardoning Maxwell would represent a profound betrayal of the American people, the rule of law, and the survivors of Epstein's criminal network. As Rep. Ro Khanna told the Miami Herald, a pardon would be a "betrayal of the survivors and the American people who want to see justice."
3. Reject any "testimony for pardon" deal as a condition of Congressional investigation. If Maxwell's cooperation is needed, compel it through legitimate legal means. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has already made clear that "the votes aren't there" for a pardon among House Republicans. Do not reward a convicted felon with freedom in exchange for testimony she has already refused to give — and according to Reuters, the committee's own divisions make such a deal increasingly unlikely.
4. Continue to pursue full accountability across the Epstein network. The investigation into Epstein and his associates must continue — but it must not be used as cover to free the one person already convicted and sentenced for her role in it. Rep. Krishnamoorthi has urged the DOJ to "immediately reopen" and "fully resource" the investigation into Epstein's sex-trafficking operation. We support that call.
5. Center the voices and needs of survivors in every decision made. Before any vote, any statement, any backroom negotiation — ask the survivors. As Rep. Maxwell Frost said: "It's deeply troubling that Republicans are even entertaining the idea of a pardon."  The survivors have been asking to be heard for decades. It is long past time to listen.

A MESSAGE TO EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS
History is watching. The survivors are watching. The American people are watching.

A presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell would tell every victim of child sexual exploitation that wealth and connections still matter more than justice. It would tell every prosecutor, every juror, and every court that a conviction — no matter how thoroughly won and how many times affirmed on appeal — can be erased by executive decree when the right political moment arrives.

We will not accept that. We will not be silent.

We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to stand on the right side of this moment. Oppose this pardon. Protect the survivors. Defend the rule of law.

 
Supporting sources: Britannica · Al Jazeera · PBS NewsHour · Reuters · Newsweek · Business Times · House Oversight Committee Democrats · The Daily Beast · Miami Herald · The Hill · Washington Examiner · NBC New York · International Business Times