Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein, declined to answer questions posed by the US House Oversight Committee during a deposition on Monday.
Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, participated virtually in the closed-door session from her Texas prison.
Representative James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, stated that Maxwell, “as expected,” invoked her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
“This is obviously very disappointing,” Comer remarked. “We had numerous questions regarding the crimes she and Epstein committed, in addition to inquiries about potential co-conspirators.”
Comer added, “We are sincerely committed to uncovering the truth for the American people and seeking justice for the survivors; that is the core objective of this investigation.”
The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution protects individuals from self-incrimination, granting them the right to refuse to answer questions under oath.
Following the hearing, Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury told reporters that Maxwell used the opportunity to “campaign for clemency.”
Comer stated that conversations with Epstein survivors made it clear that “Maxwell was a very bad person” who did not merit any form of immunity.
In a prior social media post, Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, indicated that Maxwell was “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”
“Only she can provide the complete account. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters,” he posted.
Prior to Maxwell’s appearance, a group of Epstein survivors sent a letter to the House Oversight Committee, urging lawmakers to view any information provided by Maxwell with skepticism.
The group criticized her refusal to identify “the many powerful men” involved in Epstein’s trafficking operation and her lack of “meaningful cooperation” with law enforcement, asserting that any “special treatment” or “credibility afforded to her testimony” would be devastating for survivors.
The White House has previously stated that “no leniency is being given or discussed” regarding Maxwell.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in recruiting underage girls for exploitation by Epstein, her former boyfriend. Epstein died in prison in 2019. Maxwell is seeking a pardon from Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials.
In a letter to Comer before the deposition, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna stated his intention to question Maxwell about a court document she filed last year, referencing “four named co-conspirators” and 25 others who were not indicted in the Epstein investigation.
He also planned to inquire about her and Epstein’s “social relationship” with Donald Trump and whether the former president ever discussed a potential pardon for Maxwell with her defense team.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection to Epstein, stating that he severed contact decades ago, and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein’s victims.
Khanna stated that Maxwell’s decision to not answer questions from the Oversight Committee “appears inconsistent with Ms Maxwell’s prior conduct, as she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment when she previously met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss substantially similar subject matter.”
According to a Justice Department transcript of that July meeting, Maxwell told Blanche – who previously worked as Trump’s personal attorney – that she did not witness any inappropriate conduct by Donald Trump or former US President Bill Clinton and that a rumored Epstein “client list” does not exist.
Monday’s deposition was originally scheduled for last August but was postponed by Comer at the request of Maxwell’s lawyers, pending a Supreme Court ruling related to her case.
The testimony comes as the US Department of Justice has released millions of pages of new files from its investigation into the disgraced financier after a law compelling their unveiling was passed by Congress last year.
Members of Congress will be allowed to view the un-redacted versions of the nearly three million pages in person at the Department of Justice starting on Monday, the BBC’s US news partner CBS reported.
“I think it’s great that the Department of Justice is letting members of Congress come in and look at all the un-redacted versions of the documents,” Comer told reporters at the Capitol on Monday.
A group of Epstein survivors on Sunday released a video calling for further transparency around redactions and certain unreleased files.
Blanche has rejected any accusations of a cover-up, saying previously that the notion of a “hidden tranche of information of men that we know about” and that the justice department is choosing not to prosecute is not the case.
With reporting from Pratiksha Ghildial in New York.
The video appeal came hours before a reported deadline to pay the people believed to be holding the TV hosts’s mum.
Leaders gather this week for the Munich Security Conference, with European security at a crossroads.
It’s been days since 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared in the middle of night from her home in Arizona.
Homeless shelter capacity has been increased following a period of freezing temperatures in the city.
The Scottish Labour leader says No 10 has “not been good enough” but Sir Keir insists he will not resign.