Ghislaine Maxwell, sentenced to 20 years in prison for assisting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, didn’t answer questions from a House panel Monday, as her lawyer attested to the innocence of both President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton in the Epstein matter.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating the close ties Epstein had with powerful people and what mistakes the Justice Department made in prosecuting the case.
Maxwell, appearing virtually to committee members for a closed-door deposition, invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to testify against herself in response to a congressional subpoena.
“Right now, every American has questions that would be very important in this investigation, and she chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights,” House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Monday.
Comer added, “Her attorney said that she would answer questions if she would be granted clemency by President Trump.”
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to felony solicitation of prostitution, as well as procurement of minors to engage in prostitution.
Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019, which investigators determined was a suicide. Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 for conspiring with Epstein to sexually exploit and abuse minor girls.
In addition to the prison sentence, Maxwell was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $750,000 fine.
Democrats have scrutinized Trump’s past association with Epstein, while Republicans have scrutinized Clinton’s past association.
Both the current and the former president have denied any wrongdoing and said they ended their association with Epstein. Clinton and wife Hillary Clinton are complying with a subpoena to testify to the oversight panel after initially refusing to do so.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said on Monday that she had pending court motions, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a member of the Oversight Committee, told reporters.
“The other thing, he pointed out a number of times that she has a habeas corpus petition pending for a new trial or release, and that’s why she is not going to answer questions,” Biggs said.
Markus posted his statement to the committee on X.
“If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path. Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” Markus said.
“Only she can provide the complete account. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing.”
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he planned to ask, “Who were the other men who raped these underage girls? Did she have any conversations about a deal with Donald Trump?”
“Now, she’s taken a blanket Fifth Amendment on any question, and my view is that many of my questions don’t, in any way, incriminate her,” Khanna told reporters.
From at least 1994 to 2004, Maxwell assisted in recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein, according to the Justice Department. Victims were as young as 14.
Maxwell attempted to befriend certain victims by asking them about their lives, schools, taking them to the movies or shopping trips, then put them at ease with Epstein by being present as an adult woman normalizing his behavior, according to the Justice Department.
The victims were taken to Epstein’s homes in New York, Florida, and New Mexico, as well as Maxwell’s residence in London, where the abuse occurred, according to the Justice Department.
