{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://stevens.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-stevens-joins-slotkins-call-abolish-presidential-pardon", "ICYMI: Stevens Joins Slotkin\u2019s Call to Abolish the Presidential Pardon", "2025-11-20", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Haley M. Stevens", "S001215", "stevens.house.gov", "stevens", "https://stevens.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "November 20, 2025\n\nAfter voting to release the Epstein Files the Michigan lawmakers are leading the charge to ban the long-abused pardon power\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 ICYMI: Congresswoman Haley Stevens joined Senator Elissa Slotkin\u2019s calls to \u201cpush Democrats to abolish [the] Presidential Pardon.\u201d The push comes after voting to release the long-blocked Epstein Files and amid Trump\u2019s consideration of pardons for Ghislaine Maxwell and others involved in Epstein\u2019s child sex trafficking ring.\n\nHere\u2019s what Michiganders are seeing and reading about Haley standing up to these abuses of power:\n\nWDIV:\n\nTwo Michigan Democrats leading a push to abolish presidential pardon powers.\n\nSenator Elissa Slotkin and Representative Haley Stevens are calling for an end to presidential pardons being misused now for political allies.\n\nThe push comes as President Trump considers pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell convicted of helping Jeffrey Epstein traffic underage girls.\n\nWWJ:\n\nNo more presidential pardons \u2013 that\u2019s what a pair of local Congresswomen are calling for after voting to release the Epstein files.\n\nCongresswoman Haley Stevens joined Senator Elissa Slotkin in advocating for an end to the pardon after both joined hundreds of their colleagues in voting to release the Epstein files.\n\nThe call for an end to pardons comes on the heels of Trump pardoning all January 6th rioters, even the violent offenders, multiple people guilty of tax fraud, and now amidst rumors that Epstein associate Ghilaine Maxwell is also seeking a pardon just 4 years into a 20 year sentence.\n\n\u201cThe presidential pardon power has been used to reward political allies. Trump has done it again, and again, and again.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd now he could even pardon a person who helped run a child sex trafficking ring with Jefferey Epstein. That\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d\n\nWLNS: Slotkin, Stevens push Democrats to abolish presidential pardon\n\nBrad LaPlante\n\nFor the last two months, U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin has been leading an effort to curb President Donald Trump\u2019s use of executive power.\n\nU.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) joined Slotkin Tuesday in her calls to end the presidential pardon, criticizing Trump for weighing a decision to pardon Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s sex-trafficking co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who is reportedly planning to seek a commutation of her federal prison sentence, according to the Independent.\n\nA judge sentenced Maxwell to 20 years in prison for enabling sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual exploitation of more than 250 underage girls.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s time to stop protecting Donald Trump and to start protecting survivors,\u201d Stevens posted to social media platform X on Tuesday. \u201cThe presidential pardon power has been used to reward political allies. Trump has done it again, and again, and again. And now he could even pardon a person who helped run a child sex trafficking ring with Jeffrey Epstein. That\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d\n\nOn Nov. 9, Trump issued a pardon for 16 individuals accused of scheming to certify Michigan\u2019s electoral votes for Trump in the 2020 election. While charges against 15 of those individuals were dismissed in September, the 16th reached a cooperation agreement with the Michigan attorney general\u2019s office. His charges were dropped.\n\nTrump has also issued blanket pardons for those involved in the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He pardoned Ross William Ulbricht, who had been serving a life sentence in prison for running a website that acted as a marketplace to trade narcotics.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://stevens.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-stevens-joins-slotkins-call-abolish-presidential-pardon"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.674167811870575, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}