Kamal Ghorui
Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell Monday refused to answer questions from a US congressional panel, saying she would speak only if granted clemency by President Donald Trump.Maxwell, 64, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, was summoned by the House Oversight Committee to testify about her relationship with Epstein.However, instead of responding to the panel’s questions, the former British socialite invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.“As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions,” committee chairman James Comer told reporters. “This is obviously very disappointing.”“We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed as well as questions about potential co-conspirators,” he added.Maxwell’s lawyer, David Markus, said she was willing to speak publicly if Trump granted her clemency.“If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path,” Markus said in a statement. “Ms Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”Markus also said that Trump and former president Bill Clinton — both of whom had past ties with Epstein — were “innocent of any wrongdoing.”“Ms Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation,” he said.Maxwell is the only person convicted in connection with Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.She was convicted in 2021 of recruiting and supplying underage girls to Epstein. Epstein had connections with powerful business leaders, politicians, celebrities and academics.Maxwell was subpoenaed to testify virtually from the Texas prison where she is serving her sentence. Her deposition comes as the Justice Department recently released millions of documents, photographs and videos linked to the Epstein investigation.The Justice Department has said no new prosecutions are expected, but several political and business figures have faced public scrutiny or resigned after their links to Epstein surfaced.
‘Unrepentant’
Democratic lawmaker Suhas Subramanyam, who attended the closed-door deposition, said Maxwell showed no remorse.“She was very robotic, and you know, she was not at all remorseful about pleading the Fifth today,” Subramanyam said. “This is all strategy for her to try to get a pardon from President Trump.”The House Oversight Committee has also summoned former president Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, to testify about their interactions with Epstein.The Clintons have asked that their depositions be held publicly to prevent Republicans from politicising the process.Trump, who was once close to Epstein, has not been called to testify by the Republican-led committee.Trump had earlier opposed releasing the Epstein files but later signed a law mandating their release after pressure from lawmakers, including members of his own party.The move reflected growing public pressure over long-standing suspicions that powerful individuals connected to Epstein were being protected.
