Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, intends to invoke her right to remain silent during questioning by the US House Oversight Committee, according to her lawyer. Maxwell is expected to appear virtually for Monday's closed-door deposition from the Texas prison where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
I can confirm that she will take the 5th, Maxwell's lawyer David Oscar Markus told the BBC on Sunday, referring to the right to avoid self-incrimination outlined in the Fifth Amendment of the US constitution. Instead, Maxwell will read a prepared statement at the outset of the deposition, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein, her former boyfriend, to exploit. Epstein died in prison in 2019. She is seeking a pardon from Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials.
In a letter addressed to Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, a Republican, Khanna said he plans to ask Maxwell about a court document she filed last year saying there were four named co-conspirators and 25 others who were not indicted as part of the Epstein investigation. He also plans to ask about her and the deceased financier's social relationship with Donald Trump, and whether the US president ever discussed a potential pardon for Maxwell with her defense team.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, with whom he says he severed contact decades ago, and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein's victims. Khanna stated that Maxwell's refusal to answer questions from the Oversight Committee seems inconsistent with her previous conduct, as she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment when meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on similar topics.
Maxwell told Blanche 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.
The deposition was originally scheduled for last August but was postponed after a request from Maxwell's lawyers for it to coincide with a Supreme Court ruling related to her case.
This testimony comes as the US Department of Justice has released millions of pages of new files from its investigation into Epstein following a law compelling their unveiling passed by Congress last year. Congressional members will have access to unredacted versions of nearly three million pages starting Monday. A group of Epstein survivors has also released a video calling for further transparency around redactions and unreleased files, while Blanche has denied any accusations of a cover-up regarding the investigation.
I can confirm that she will take the 5th, Maxwell's lawyer David Oscar Markus told the BBC on Sunday, referring to the right to avoid self-incrimination outlined in the Fifth Amendment of the US constitution. Instead, Maxwell will read a prepared statement at the outset of the deposition, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein, her former boyfriend, to exploit. Epstein died in prison in 2019. She is seeking a pardon from Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials.
In a letter addressed to Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, a Republican, Khanna said he plans to ask Maxwell about a court document she filed last year saying there were four named co-conspirators and 25 others who were not indicted as part of the Epstein investigation. He also plans to ask about her and the deceased financier's social relationship with Donald Trump, and whether the US president ever discussed a potential pardon for Maxwell with her defense team.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, with whom he says he severed contact decades ago, and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein's victims. Khanna stated that Maxwell's refusal to answer questions from the Oversight Committee seems inconsistent with her previous conduct, as she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment when meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on similar topics.
Maxwell told Blanche 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.
The deposition was originally scheduled for last August but was postponed after a request from Maxwell's lawyers for it to coincide with a Supreme Court ruling related to her case.
This testimony comes as the US Department of Justice has released millions of pages of new files from its investigation into Epstein following a law compelling their unveiling passed by Congress last year. Congressional members will have access to unredacted versions of nearly three million pages starting Monday. A group of Epstein survivors has also released a video calling for further transparency around redactions and unreleased files, while Blanche has denied any accusations of a cover-up regarding the investigation.
