Ghislaine Maxwell, the former partner of Jeffrey Epstein, chose not to respond to inquiries from U.S. House lawmakers in a deposition on Monday. However, she hinted that she would be willing to testify that neither President Donald Trump nor former President Bill Clinton engaged in any wrongdoing in their associations with Epstein if Trump commuted her prison term.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee had requested Maxwell to provide answers during a virtual meeting at the federal prison camp in Texas where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Nevertheless, she invoked her Fifth Amendment rights to avoid self-incriminating responses.
Maxwell has faced increased scrutiny as legislators seek to probe how Epstein, a well-connected financier, managed to exploit underage girls for an extended period. Lawmakers are now seeking individuals linked to Epstein who might have enabled his misconduct in the wake of a global reckoning over Epstein’s offenses.
In a separate development on Monday, lawmakers were granted access to unredacted versions of the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice to comply with a recent congressional mandate.
Maxwell has been striving to overturn her conviction, alleging wrongful judgment. Although her appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court last year, a federal judge in New York was subsequently urged in December to review what her legal team characterizes as “significant new evidence” suggesting her trial was tainted by constitutional breaches.
During the deposition held behind closed doors, Maxwell, dressed in a brown prison shirt and seated at a conference table with a water bottle, consistently cited her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, as per video footage subsequently released by the committee.
In a statement to the committee during the closed-door session, Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, affirmed that “Maxwell is prepared to provide a full and honest account if granted clemency by President Trump.” Markus contended that both Trump and Clinton “are innocent of any misconduct,” asserting that “Ms. Maxwell alone can elucidate why, and the public deserves this elucidation.”
Democratic representatives criticized Maxwell’s stance as a blatant attempt to secure clemency from Trump. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat from New Mexico, remarked, “It’s evident she’s seeking clemency.”
The White House, when asked about Maxwell’s request, referred to prior statements from the president indicating that a pardon was not under consideration. Following Maxwell’s appeal, some Republicans swiftly rejected the notion.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida emphasized on social media, “NO CLEMENCY. You comply or face punishment. You deserve JUSTICE for what you did, you monster.”
Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, expressed disappointment over Maxwell’s refusal to engage in the deposition. Comer had issued a subpoena to Maxwell last year, but her legal team consistently informed the committee of her unwillingness to respond to inquiries.
Comer faced pressure to conduct the deposition as he pushed for the committee to enforce subpoenas on Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Subsequent to threats of contempt of Congress charges, both Clintons agreed to participate in depositions later this month.
Comer affirmed on Monday that he would insist on conducting closed-door depositions and subsequently releasing transcripts and video footage. Maxwell, previously charged with perjury, was transferred to a Texas prison camp from a Florida facility with higher security after being interviewed last summer by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of the Trump administration to gather any new information pertaining to Epstein’s crimes.
In a separate development, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie called for the resignation of Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over misrepresenting his interactions with Epstein. Massie’s call was echoed by Robert Garcia, the leading Democrat on the House’s oversight committee.
The recent Justice Department files suggest that Lutnick may have visited Epstein’s private island for lunch in 2012 and invited Epstein to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in 2015, contradicting Lutnick’s assertion that he had vowed to avoid any contact with Epstein post a 2005 incident.
Epstein’s 2008 Florida plea deal, in which he pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor, initially went largely unnoticed by the national media but later drew criticism for its perceived leniency and lack of transparency. Allegations of Epstein trafficking some victims emerged over time, leading to a new federal indictment in 2019. However, Epstein, aged 66, died by suicide in a jail cell before facing trial.
