House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, could do the nation a “great service” if she cooperates.
On Sunday, Johnson appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, where moderator Kristen Welker asked him whether the convicted sex trafficker could be relied on to tell the truth.
“Well, I mean, look; it’s a good question. I hope so,” Johnson said. “I hope that she would want to come clean.”
Highlights
- House Speaker Mike Johnson says Ghislaine Maxwell could do a great service by telling the truth about Epstein’s operations.
- Maxwell, serving 20 years for sex trafficking, has been subpoenaed by Congress but hasn’t decided if she’ll testify or plead the Fifth.
- Johnson opposes pardoning Maxwell, calling her 20-year sentence too light given the scale of her crimes.
- The DOJ met with Maxwell for nine hours amid criticism over not aggressively pursuing her testimony.
Mike Johnson said Ghislaine Maxwell could do the country a "great service" if she cooperates
Image credits: NBC News
“I hope she’s telling the truth. She is convicted, she’s serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking. Her character is in some question... but if she wants to come clean now, that would be a great service to the country,” he said.
“We want to know every bit of information that she has.”
Maxwell, 63, was convicted of luring and grooming underage girls for Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
She has come back into the spotlight as the Trump administration faces growing scrutiny and backlash over the Epstein files.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI said earlier this month that no “incriminating client list” was found and announced that no more files would be released.
The decision angered both Democrats and MAGA supporters.
Image credits: Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Last week, the DOJ met with Maxwell for nine hours over two days after critics accused the agency of not aggressively pursuing her testimony.
Separately, Maxwell has been subpoenaed by Congress to answer questions on the Epstein files.
Johnson supported the move, saying it showed GOP leaders are backing transparency but last week, he blocked a vote related to the release of the Epstein files.
“My belief is we need the administration to have the space to do what it is doing, and if further congressional action is necessary or appropriate, then we’ll look at that, but I don’t think we’re at that point right now, because we agree with the president,” he said at the time.
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Some lawmakers have gone further, suggesting that Maxwell could be offered a pardon in exchange for full disclosure about Epstein’s operations.
But Johnson rejected that idea. “If you’re asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance. I think she should have a life sentence at least,” he said.
“Think of all these unspeakable crimes... probably 1,000 victims. It’s hard to put into words how evil this was, and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it.”
The controversy comes after the Trump administration failed to declassify all Epstein-related records despite suggesting during the 2024 election that they would.
Maxwell has been subpoenaed by Congress to answer questions on the Epstein files
Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Ro Khanna of California co-sponsored a bipartisan resolution demanding that Attorney General Pam Bondi release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to the Epstein and Maxwell investigations.
Massie appeared on Meet the Press with Khanna, saying the public had a right to know the truth. “The release of the Epstein files is emblematic of what Trump ran for,” Massie said.
“There seems to be a class of people beyond the law, beyond the judicial system. We all thought that when Trump was elected, he would be the bull in the china shop and break that all up.”
He added that the administration had “lost his trust” on the matter.
“People who were allegedly working on this weren’t sincere in their efforts,” Massie said.
“Somebody should ask Speaker Mike Johnson, why did he recess Congress early so that he didn’t have to deal with the Epstein issue?”
Johnson defended the move, saying, “What we did do this week is end the chaos in the Rules Committee because the Democrats are trying to use this in a shameless manner for political purposes.
“Quite obviously, they hijacked the Rules Committee, and they tried to turn it into an Epstein hearing. That’s not what the Rules Committee is about.”
Massie said that the House could still force a vote to release the files if public pressure continues.
“Politics is the art of the doable,” he said. “There’s enough public pressure right now that we can get 218 votes and force this to a vote on the floor.”
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed back against reports connecting him to Epstein.
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump allegedly sent a birthday note to Epstein in 2003, hinting at a shared “secret.”
Trump denied writing the note and sued the newspaper. Another WSJ report said Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared several times in files relating to Epstein.
The White House called that story “fake” and accused Democrats of tampering with evidence.
Trump said he hasn’t considered pardoning Maxwell but noted, “I am allowed to do it.”
Maxwell is still undecided whether she will testify before the HOC or invoke her Fifth Amendment right
Image credits: Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Maxwell has not decided whether to testify before the House Oversight Committee or invoke her Fifth Amendment rights, according to her attorney.
If she chooses the latter, there is little Congress can do except to offer her immunity.
David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Maxwell, said she answered every question posed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, covering about 100 different people.
“She didn’t hold back,” he said.