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Ghislaine Maxwell not cooperating because she is campaigning for Trump pardon, Democrats say

PBS NewsHour 12:32 PM UTC Mon February 09, 2026 Politics
Ghislaine Maxwell not cooperating because she is campaigning for Trump pardon, Democrats say

An attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell told lawmakers Manday that she would be willing to testify that neither President Donald Trump nor former President Bill Clinton were culpable for wrongdoing in their relationships with Epstein, according to both Democratic and Republican lawmakers who exited a closed-door deposition with Maxwell.

Watch the clip in the video player above.

Democrats argued that Maxwell's assertion was an appeal to Trump to end her prison sentence. "It's very clear she's campaigning for clemency," said Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat.

WATCH: Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions about Epstein in House deposition, Comer says

Maxwell has been seeking to have her conviction overturned, arguing that she was wrongfully convicted. The Supreme Court rejected her appeal but she has asked a federal judge in New York to consider what her attorneys describe as "substantial new evidence" that her trial was spoiled by constitutional violations.

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The Republican chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, said it was "very disappointing" that Maxwell declined to participate in the deposition.

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Related WATCH: Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions about Epstein in House deposition, Comer says By Stephen Groves, Associated Press

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