{"id":1912,"date":"2026-05-19T17:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T17:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/19\/todd-blanche-says-he-would-not-recommend-a-pardon-for-ghislaine-maxwell\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T17:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T17:43:07","slug":"todd-blanche-says-he-would-not-recommend-a-pardon-for-ghislaine-maxwell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=1912","title":{"rendered":"Todd Blanche says he would not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"8b6702ce-6640-4825-a73b-cdfce87e2e52\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man speaks into a microphone\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ef2333e636f54ccd0bc6c71dd17e8c685c2207d0\/0_0_5000_3333\/master\/5000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"309.969\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Todd Blanche testifies before a Senate subcommittee on the justice department&#8217;s proposed 2027 budget in Washington DC on 19 May 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Douliery Olivier\/Abaca\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"8b6702ce-6640-4825-a73b-cdfce87e2e52\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Todd Blanche testifies before a Senate subcommittee on the justice department&#8217;s proposed 2027 budget in Washington DC on 19 May 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Douliery Olivier\/Abaca\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Todd Blanche says he would not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Acting US attorney general made comments about the Epstein associate at a Senate hearing over budget requests<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/live\/2026\/may\/19\/donald-trump-primaries-midterms-republicans-kentucky-thomas-massie-pennsylvania-georgia-alabama-oregon-idaho-latest-news-updates\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">US politics live \u2013 latest updates<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Todd Blanche, the acting US attorney general, told lawmakers on Tuesday that he would not recommend a pardon for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ghislaine-maxwell\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a>, the longtime associate of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/jeffrey-epstein\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Blanche\u2019s comments came during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, where he was testifying before the appropriations subcommittee over budget requests for the justice department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">During one exchange, Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, asked Blanche whether the justice department, and he as the acting attorney general, could commit to not recommending a pardon for Maxwell.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"7ce696d2-dfcf-44ba-9df4-70d6a8bf72b2\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/14\/gateway-cofounder-ted-waitt-ghislaine-maxwell\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Gateway co-founder detailed his romantic relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell in House testimony<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cYes, I can commit to that, of course,\u201d Blanche, who is a former personal lawyer for Trump, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NewsNation\/status\/2056752548430672006\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">responded<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The statement comes as Maxwell exhausted a series of appeals of her conviction, with the US supreme court in October <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/oct\/06\/ghislaine-maxwell-supreme-court-appeal\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">declining to hear<\/a> her petition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Earlier this year, Maxwell appeared before the House oversight and reform committee but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/09\/ghislaine-maxwell-congress-deposition\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">invoked her fifth amendment right<\/a> and refused to answer the panel\u2019s questions. Her attorney told lawmakers that she would only speak if granted clemency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">And in April, reports emerged that members of the committee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/04\/22\/congress\/to-pardon-maxwell-or-not-00887823\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">were divided<\/a> over whether Trump should consider pardoning Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation in the panel\u2019s Epstein investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Last year, as the Trump administration faced growing pressure to release more documents related to the Epstein investigation, it dispatched Blanche, who was deputy attorney general at the time, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/aug\/22\/ghislaine-maxwell-transcript-what-we-know\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">interview<\/a> Maxwell about the Epstein case. The interview, conducted over two days in July, was followed by the justice department releasing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/aug\/22\/ghislaine-maxwell-interview-transcript-justice-department\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">transcripts and audio recordings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Shortly after that meeting, in August, Maxwell was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/aug\/01\/ghislaine-maxwell-prison-transfer\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">transferred<\/a> from a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, to a minimum-security camp in Texas, where most prisoners are serving time for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/ghislaine-maxwell-prison-transfer-epstein-b5efd6ac?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqdGGZZOrnhwensxlciIgHR5fra5r3EXXeYYUaoz_C4aV3pWIT2cYUyZ8acaz34%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6910d201&amp;gaa_sig=CeqINhgd6cTDRXL32vUXuhhexYn1VcU2umGshHpqbakJhXl-1X62n3044jr0Ycc3-fbZaSZG4AAkEEEM6QwLIQ%3D%3D\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">non-violent offenses and white-collar crimes<\/a>. At the time, experts described the move as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/08\/01\/us\/video\/the-lead-holli-coulman-epstein-files-maxwell-prison-transfer-tapper\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">unprecedented<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Since then, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/nov\/09\/ghislaine-maxwell-trump-admin-prison-transfer\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">reports have surfaced<\/a> that Maxwell is \u201cmuch happier\u201d at the Texas facility than she was at her previous prison, and there have been allegations that she is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/nov\/16\/ghislaine-maxwell-low-security-prison-treatment\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">receiving favorable treatment.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-ri3hap\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">During Tuesday\u2019s hearing, Blanche <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/atrupar\/status\/2056759018513646062\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">denied<\/a> that Trump personally sent him to interview Maxwell and claimed he didn\u2019t know whether she was receiving better treatment at her new facility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The possibility clemency for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ghislaine-maxwell\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Maxwell<\/a>, however unlikely, has long outraged survivors and their advocates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Earlier this month, Spencer Kuvin, chief legal officer and litigation director of Goldlaw, which has represented numerous Epstein survivors, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/03\/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-clemency\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told the Guardian <\/a>that \u201cany talk of clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for testimony turns justice on its head \u2013 it risks rewarding the very person who helped enable the abuse\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A representative for Maxwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Blanche\u2019s statements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/ghislaine-maxwell\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/jeffrey-epstein\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-senate\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Senate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-congress\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Congress<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Todd%20Blanche%20says%20he%20would%20not%20recommend%20a%20pardon%20for%20Ghislaine%20Maxwell&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/todd-blanche-doj-ghislaine-maxwell?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F19%2Ftodd-blanche-doj-ghislaine-maxwell&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/todd-blanche-doj-ghislaine-maxwell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Todd Blanche testifies before a Senate subcommittee on the justice department&#8217;s proposed 2027 budget in Washington DC on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}