Ghislaine Maxwell pleads Fifth Amendment at congressional deposition
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein are seen outside No 10 Downing Street. Photo: The US Justice Department / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images
Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions during a closed-door, virtual deposition Monday with the House Oversight Committee as part of the panel's probe into Jeffrey Epstein.
Why it matters: The committee has been working for months to schedule a virtual deposition with Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence at a Texas facility. Yet little new information was brought to light.
- "Unfortunately, she had an opportunity today to answer questions that every American has, questions that would be very important in this investigation, and she chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters following the deposition.
- Maxwell's team offered prepared remarks at the start of the deposition, and she invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during questioning, Comer said.
- "After months of defying our subpoena, Ghislaine Maxwell finally appeared before the Oversight Committee and said nothing," ranking Oversight member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said, adding, "She answered no questions and provided no information about the men who raped and trafficked women and girls."
Catch up quick: Oversight initially subpoenaed Maxwell in July.
- Maxwell was sentenced to prison in 2022 after a federal jury found her guilty of helping Epstein traffic teenage girls.
- She has denied abusing anyone and said she has been made a scapegoat after Epstein died in prison in 2019, a charge prosecutors have denied.
Between the lines: Maxwell did not plead the Fifth when she met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last July about the Epstein case, though she was granted limited immunity.
- Comer rejected Maxwell's requests for immunity in exchange for her testimony.
- Maxwell's attorney told lawmakers during the deposition that she would answer questions if granted clemency by President Trump.
- "[I] don't think she should be granted any type of immunity or clemency," Comer said.
The big picture: Maxwell's deposition follows the Justice Department's release of millions of internal documents related to Epstein.
- Members of Congress on Monday can begin viewing the unredacted copies of the files that have been released to the public.
What's next: Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are expected to sit for closed-door depositions before the panel on Feb. 26 and 27 as part of the Epstein probe.
- The House was set to vote to hold the two in criminal contempt last week before they agreed to testify.
- The Clintons have been calling on Comer to hold a public hearing rather than conduct a closed-door deposition.
- Comer said he would be open to a public hearing after they appear at agreed-upon depositions.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
