On Tuesday, David Oscar Markus, the attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accomplice, called for his client to be pardoned so that she can “speak with total honesty” and explain why U.S. President Donald Trump is not implicated in the pedophilia case.
RELATED:
US Releases Millions of Epstein Files with Revelations About Powerful Figures
Previously, on Monday, Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — which protects an accused person’s right against self-incrimination — during an investigation being conducted by the House Oversight Committee and refused to answer questions.
The defendant, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking network, addressed lawmakers via videoconference from the Texas prison where she is incarcerated.
Her refusal to provide further information or details about how the corrupt network operated closed off one of the avenues lawmakers had sought to pursue in the congressional investigation.
“If this committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a direct path. Ms. Maxwell is willing to speak with total honesty if President Trump grants her a pardon,” Markus said.
“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 (Bill) Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Only Ms. Maxwell can explain why, and the public has a right to that explanation,” he added.
Maxwell’s attorney sought to justify his client’s silence before the committee by arguing that she “must remain silent” because she has a pending habeas corpus appeal that argues her conviction was based on a fundamentally unfair trial.
According to The Washington Post, the statement marked the latest example of Maxwell and Markus openly pressuring Trump to end her sentence, while also suggesting that if he did so, she would provide testimony that would dispel any lingering suspicion about whether Epstein’s former friends — including Trump and Clinton — had any connection to his crimes.
The newspaper noted that Trump has said he is not considering a pardon or commutation for Maxwell. But he has also not ruled it out, even as his handling of Epstein-related matters has fueled controversy and divided Republicans in the House of Representatives.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to two counts of soliciting prostitution, including one involving a minor. He was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019 and died in federal custody later that year. His death was ruled a suicide.
