House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Sunday that Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell deserves a life sentence, rejecting the idea of a potential pardon for the convicted sex trafficker.  

In an appearance on NBC’s «Meet the Press,» Johnson was asked if he supported a pardon for Maxwell, but the speaker emphasized that the decision ultimately belongs to President Donald Trump. 

«I think 20 years was a pittance,» Johnson said of Maxwell’s time behind bars. «I think she should have a life sentence, at least. I mean, think of all these unspeakable crimes.» 

«I mean it’s hard to put into words how evil this was and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it, at least under the criminal sanction, I think is an unforgivable thing,» Johnson added, acknowledging that federal prosecutors identified more than 1,000 victims, many of whom were underage. «So again, not my decision, but I have great pause about that as any reasonable person would.» 

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While leaving the White House on Friday en route for Scotland, Trump was asked if he considered a pardon or clemency for Maxwell. The president left the door open, responding: «I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.»

Johnson said he supports the position of the president, the FBI and the Justice Department that «all credible evidence and information» be released, but emphasized the need for safeguards to protect victims’ identities. As for Maxwell, she was questioned by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, for two consecutive days last week. Her lawyer told reporters she answered questions on about 100 potential Epstein associates as she angles for clemency. 

«That’s a decision of the president,» Johnson said of a potential Maxwell pardon. «He said he had not adequately considered that. I won’t get in front of him. That’s not my lane. My lane is to help direct and control the House of Representatives and to use every tool within our arsenal to get to the truth. I’m going to say this as clearly and plainly and repeatedly as I can over and over. We are for maximum disclosure. We want all transparency. I trust the American people. I and the House Republicans believe that they should have all this information to be able to determine what they will. But we have to protect the innocent. And that’s the only safeguard here that we’ve got to be diligent about, and I’m insistent upon doing so.» 

Acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during a news conference on July 2, 2020.  (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

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Johnson criticized a petition for the release of all the Epstein files brought by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-W.Va., and Ro Khanna, D-Penn., as «reckless» and poorly drafted, arguing that it ignored federal rules protecting grand jury materials and «would require the DOJ and FBI to release information that they know is false, that is based on lies and rumors and was not even credible enough to be entered into the court proceedings.» 

The speaker said the petition also lacked safeguards for minor victims who were subjected to «unspeakable crimes, abject evil» and who risk being «unmasked.» Johnson said Massie and Khanna «cite that they don’t want child abuse, sex abuse information uncovered, but they cite the wrong provision of the federal code, and so it makes it unworkable.» The speaker argued Republicans on the House Rules Committee are committed to a better drafted approach that will protect the innocent. 

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., arrives for the House Republican Conference caucus meeting in the Capitol on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Asked about a potential pardon for Maxwell, Massie told NBC’s Kristen Welker earlier in the program that it «would be up to the president, but if she has information that could help us, I think that she should testify.» 

«Let’s get that out there, and whatever they need to do to compel that testimony, as long as it’s truthful, I would be in favor of,» Massie said. 

Khanna said he did not believe Maxwell’s sentence should be commuted and that he was concerned that Blanche was meeting with her. He said he agreed with Massie that Maxwell should testify but noted she has been indicted twice for perjury.

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«This is why we need the files. This is why we need independent evidence,» Khanna said. 

The State Department and the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have joined a chorus of analysts this week in warning Fox News Digital of «significant threats to U.S. national security» from the actions of Iran in Africa. 

Tehran is accused of reportedly buying uranium in Niger, supplying drones in violation of a U.N. arms embargo to forces in Sudan and promoting the growth of destabilizing Islamist fundamentalism and terrorism on the continent.

«Iran’s long arm of terror stretches around the globe, including in Africa», Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, told Fox News Digital, adding, «Iran is an enemy to freedom everywhere, and a threat to U.S. national security; our partners in Africa must proceed with caution before engaging with this dangerous, authoritarian regime.» 

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Reports surfaced initially last year from first the French media outlet Africa Intelligence, and then the Washington-based NGO the Institute for Science and International Security, that the West African nation of Niger had been negotiating the sale to Tehran of $56 million worth of so-called yellow cake – uranium oxide. The 300 tons of uranium, some of which, one source suggests, has been partly delivered already, would allegedly be enough to make 30 nuclear weapons.

Analysts say Niger could be preparing to sell even more ‘yellow cake’ to Iran. Uranium in the country has up until recently been mined by mostly French companies, such as Orano. But Niger’s military leaders, who came to power in a coup in 2023, announced that they will revoke mining licenses and nationalize mining operations. Iran is said to want to strike a deal to start uranium mining itself in Niger, particularly around Imouraren, an area where the ground is estimated to contain 200,000 tons of the metal.

In a move seen to be towards Russia and Iran, Niger ended an agreement with the Biden administration last year, which led to the closing of two U.S. military bases in the country that were used for anti-terror operations. 

A U.S. and Niger flag are raised side by side at the base camp for air forces and other personnel supporting the construction of Niger Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. The U.S. handed over its last military base in Niger to the country’s authorities, the US Department of Defense and Niger’s Ministry of Defense announced in a joint statement on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.  (AP Photo/Carley Petesch, File)

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«In Niger, French outlets covering the continent have reported that there is a secret agreement between Iran and Niger trading uranium oxide for either drones or energy,» Behnam Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. Taleblu, senior Director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) added, «The Islamic Republic is an opportunistic actor, both in the Middle East and further abroad.»

A State Department spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Iran’s activities in Africa are on their radar, saying, «On Niger, we are monitoring the possibility of an Iranian acquisition of uranium. We would have serious concerns about Niger, or any country, transferring uranium to Iran.»

The spokesperson continued, «Iran’s continued development of its nuclear program, (and its) role as the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and destabilizing regional behavior, pose significant threats to U.S. national security and to global stability.

«The President has been clear: Iran cannot ever have a nuclear weapon.»

An army soldier walks in front of the Republican Palace in Khartoum, Sudan, after it was taken over by Sudan’s army on Friday, March 21, 2025.  (AP Photo)

Iran, said to be interested in Sudan’s gold, has been supplying Mohajer-6 drones to Khartoum’s government, according to the U.S. Africa Command’s Africa Defense Forum. They were used effectively by Sudan in recently reclaiming the capital city, Khartoum and the Presidential Palace.

The FDD’s Taleblu added, «Iranian drones are active on four continents today, one of which is the African continent, particularly when looking at the conflicts in Sudan and Ethiopia.»

The State Department spokesperson weighed in «On Sudan, we are aware of reports. Both the RSF and the SAF have used weapons acquired from foreign actors against the civilian population and infrastructure and have committed human rights violations and abuses.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the nation on Iranian state television broadcast in Tehran, Iran on June 18, 2025. (Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

«Supplying arms to any of the belligerents prolongs the conflict and heightens the risk of further destabilization in Sudan and the region. The United States calls for an end to all external support to the warring parties, and urges all our partners to press for a comprehensive cessation of hostilities, and increased, unhindered humanitarian access,» the spokesperson concluded.

Then there is Iran’s reported psychological warfare against Africa’s communities. «Iran’s core Africa strategy is to export its ideology into those communities as a counter-balance to what it sees as anti-Iranian efforts in the Middle East,» Frans Cronje, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Yorktown Foundation for Freedom and a former head of the South African Institute of Race Relations told Fox News Digital.

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Cronje continued, «Africa has 1.5 billion people. Approximately a third of those are Muslim and make up a quarter of all Muslims worldwide, more than the number in the Middle East. Muslims serve as dominant groups across much of North Africa and down the African east coast.» 

«The Iranian Africa strategy can be thought of as having three components,» Cronje stated. «The first is the provision of training and material support to extremist groups in Africa to aid in the export of terror globally, and to target Christians and pro-Western communities on the continent, whilst creating a high-threat environment for Western investors.

«To that end the global terror threat index scores for several African countries have come to exceed those of traditional Middle Eastern terror staples. Africa’s Christians face increasing volumes of horrific attacks, including Christian church burnings and beheadings, and it has become common for Africa to account for the bulk of global terror-related deaths annually.

In this June 6, 2018, frame grab from Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting, IRIB, state-run TV, three versions of domestically built centrifuges are shown in a live TV program from Natanz, an Iranian uranium enrichment plant, in Iran. 

«The second is to identify both Shia and Sunni communities that can be radicalized against the West as well as against Iranian opponents in the Arab world. Iran has employed Al-Mustafa academic and cultural centers in over 30 African countries to train clerics and religious leaders.

«A third pillar of the strategy is that Iran has deepened diplomatic and economic cooperation ties with scores of African governments and business organizations to win trade and investment deals that help it evade global sanctions, as well as securing the diplomatic support of African governments on global fora such as the U.N., for measures ranging from its nuclear weapons program to its investment in proxy forces that threaten Israel.

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«For example,» Cronje concluded, «just a few months ago, over 700 delegates from nearly 40 African countries attended an investment conference in Tehran.»

Summing up, the FDD’s Taleblu said «the threat the Islamic Republic poses on the African continent is both significant and diverse. From seeking to export its revolution through religious indoctrination via state-linked religious seminaries, to drone sales, the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism has not missed this opportunity to cause chaos while flying below the radar of the West.»