Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, declined to answer questions from the US House Oversight Committee on Monday, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Maxwell appeared virtually for a closed-door deposition from a Texas prison, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Maxwell’s refusal to testify was expected, adding that lawmakers had hoped to question her about the crimes she committed with Epstein and about possible co-conspirators.
“This is obviously very disappointing,” Comer said. “We sincerely want to get to the truth for the American people and justice for the survivors.”
Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury said Maxwell used the deposition to seek clemency. Earlier, Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, said in a social media post that she would be willing to testify fully if granted a pardon by President Donald Trump. The White House has previously stated that no leniency for Maxwell is being discussed.
Epstein survivors urged lawmakers to treat any information from Maxwell with skepticism. In a letter to the committee, they criticized her refusal to identify powerful individuals allegedly involved in Epstein’s trafficking network and warned that granting her credibility or special treatment would be harmful to survivors.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for helping Epstein recruit and exploit underage girls. Epstein died in prison in 2019. Maxwell has been accused of lying to federal officials and is currently seeking a presidential pardon.
Ahead of the deposition, Representative Ro Khanna said he planned to question Maxwell about a court filing in which she claimed there were four named co-conspirators and 25 unindicted individuals connected to the Epstein investigation. He also intended to ask about her and Epstein’s social ties to Donald Trump and whether a potential pardon had ever been discussed with her legal team.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and says he ended their relationship decades ago. He has not been accused of crimes by Epstein’s victims.
Khanna noted that Maxwell’s refusal to testify contrasts with a prior meeting she had with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in July, during which she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment. According to a Justice Department transcript, Maxwell told Blanche that she had not witnessed inappropriate conduct by Trump or former President Bill Clinton and said a rumored Epstein “client list” does not exist.
The deposition had originally been scheduled for August but was postponed pending a Supreme Court ruling related to Maxwell’s case.
The testimony comes as the Justice Department has released millions of pages from its Epstein investigation following a congressional mandate. Members of Congress are now permitted to review nearly three million pages of unredacted documents in person at the Department of Justice.
Epstein survivors have continued to call for greater transparency, while the Justice Department has denied allegations of a cover-up, saying there is no hidden list of individuals being protected from prosecution.
