In a moment of rare political honesty, Republican Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN) admitted that House Republicans are open to cutting a deal with Ghislaine Maxwell — a convicted sex trafficker — if she cooperates with their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network.
“She is a liar, and she’s a dirtbag,” Burchett said bluntly when asked if he trusted Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison.
So why bring her in at all?
“Because the one thing we’ve got holding over her head is if we find out she lies, she goes back to her original sentence, and that’s looking at a lifetime,” Burchett told reporters. “And if she’s looking at maybe parlaying this into reducing her sentence, then we could have some leverage there.”
Let that sink in: a sitting member of Congress just admitted that Republicans are considering giving a convicted sex trafficker a lighter sentence in exchange for testimony — testimony they themselves acknowledge may not even be trustworthy.
Burchett made these comments after House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) issued a subpoena for Maxwell to testify under oath before Congress. She’s expected to speak in August from a Florida prison.
Asked if he would personally attend the interview with Maxwell, Burchett didn’t hesitate: “100%, 100%. I want to know the chain. I want to know the money. I want to know the people involved. And all gloves are off.”
Despite his tough talk, Burchett threw in a familiar MAGA disclaimer — warning not to jump to conclusions about people connected to Epstein. “Just because somebody’s on a travel log does not mean that they’re a pedophile,” he said.
He then went on to defend some high-profile Epstein flight log passengers: “If somebody’s plane breaks down, somebody knows Epstein, and then they got a friend that gets on the plane with them, nobody knew this guy was as big a dirtbag as he was until the last few years, until y’all broke the story.”
But that’s not exactly true. Epstein’s behavior was well-documented years before his 2019 arrest — and many of his elite friends, including Donald Trump, had been publicly linked to him for decades.
Maxwell, who was convicted of trafficking underage girls to Epstein and his powerful associates, now finds herself in the middle of yet another political circus. Her upcoming testimony is being hailed by Trump’s MAGA base as a potential bombshell, even as their leader has repeatedly distanced himself from the scandal.
Trump had once promised to expose the “Epstein client list,” but in July, his Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed it doesn’t even exist. When asked about Maxwell’s testimony this week, Trump shrugged it off, saying the move “sounds appropriate,” but also dismissed the case as “sort of a witch hunt.”
That’s a far cry from his earlier days, when Trump openly praised Epstein. In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, Trump called him a “terrific guy,” adding, “He likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump’s name does appear in the Epstein files — something his former attorney general reportedly told him in May. And according to victim attorneys, there’s even a “bawdy letter” from Trump included in Epstein’s 50th birthday tribute book.
In short, this is no longer just about Ghislaine Maxwell or Jeffrey Epstein. This is about what those in power are willing to do to protect themselves — even if it means cutting a deal with a convicted predator.
The real question now isn’t whether Maxwell will testify. It’s whether her testimony will be the truth — or just a carefully crafted script designed to shave years off her prison time. Either way, America will be watching.
Watch the clip below:
Tim Burchett admits that House Republicans may agree to ask DOJ to reduce the sentence of sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her testimony, if they like what she has to say. pic.twitter.com/BE2sy3dqEL
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 24, 2025
