Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions on Feb. 9 in the House Oversight Committee’s probe of her longtime confidant, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right, which protects one from self-incrimination, in response to questions from the committee. She was interviewed by video conference as she was in a federal prison in Texas, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
“As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions. This obviously is very disappointing,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters after the deposition.
“We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get to the truth for the American people and justice for survivors.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) wrote in a Feb. 8 letter to Comer that Maxwell pleading the Fifth “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.”
Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, told lawmakers that his client would be willing to testify that neither President Donald Trump nor former President Bill Clinton engaged in wrongdoing in their relationships with Epstein, according to both Democratic and Republican lawmakers who spoke after the closed-door deposition with Maxwell.
Hellbound and Down 