Khanna a 'no' on pardoning Maxwell: 'This is why we need the files'

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday said Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of the disgraced late-financier Jeffrey Epstein, should not be pardoned, adding pressure to release more information from the late financier's criminal files.

During a joint interview with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on NBC's "Meet the Press," Khanna said he was growing concerned about Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche meeting with Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of the disgraced financier.

"I'm concerned that the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is meeting with her supposedly one-on-one," Khanna said. "Look, I agree with Congressman Massie that she should testify. But she's been indicted twice on perjury. This is why we need the files. This is why we need independent evidence."

He added that the "only person who suffered political pain in this whole thing is Congressman Thomas Massie for telling the truth."

"He's got the president's entire team who got the president reelected coming down on him in his district. And it's just made him stronger," he said.

His comments follow Speaker Johnson's announcement last week that the lower chamber would not vote on a resolution calling for the release of certain documents related to Epstein before the August recess, which Khanna criticized.

“He knows that the resolution would pass. I mean, the reality is, we have 11 Republicans: Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, Tim Burchett, of course, Thomas Massie, who’s been courageously leading this,” Khanna said.

President Trump said Friday he hasn’t thought about pardoning Maxwell, telling reporters, "I certainly can’t talk about pardons."

"It's something I haven't thought about. I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about," Trump told reporters when asked about a pardon or clemency for Maxwell before his trip to Scotland.