Outrage erupts over Ghislaine Maxwell's condition for testifying on Epstein: 'Blackmail'

Outrage erupted online Monday after convicted child-sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell said she would remain silent about what she knows of Jeffrey Epstein — but how she would open up only on one condition — that President Donald Trump grants her clemency.

Maxwell, who has filed a petition challenging her conviction as she serves a 20-year prison sentence, invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer any questions after she appeared virtually before the House Oversight Committee following a congressional subpoena calling on her to testify on her involvement with Epstein and his sex trafficking operation.

On social media, users reacted to the move.

"Justice for the victims - regardless of one's politics, this should be a prioity [SIC] for anyone with a soul!" Professor Richard Niesenbaum wrote on X.

"This feels like a distraction from real issues honestly. What’s the end goal here?" Brand marketer Ichaka Ike wrote on X.

"If Ghislaine Maxwell refuses to answer questions and work with Congress then why isn't Trump moving her back to her old prison?" The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group, wrote on Bluesky.

"Cause she’s blackmailing him?" Singer and activist E. Summers wrote on Bluesky.

"How is this still a debate, leave Maxwell rot in jail while we listen to the survivors. She should not be given any more attention, she’s a horrible monster so are those who are not yet being punished," activist Luca Migo wrote on Bluesky.