Washington: Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in aiding Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls, on Monday refused to answer questions from the House Oversight Committee, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a brief video deposition from a federal prison camp in Texas.

Lawmakers had sought to question Maxwell as part of a broader congressional probe into how Epstein, a wealthy financier with powerful connections, was able to sexually exploit underage girls over an extended period. The renewed scrutiny also comes as members of Congress examine unredacted Epstein-related files released by the Justice Department under a law passed last year.

Maxwell is attempting to overturn her conviction, arguing she was wrongly found guilty. While the Supreme Court rejected her appeal last year, she filed a request in December asking a federal judge in New York to review what her lawyers described as “substantial new evidence,” alleging constitutional violations during her trial.

During the closed-door session, Maxwell’s attorney cited the pending petition and said she would be willing to testify that neither President Donald Trump nor former President Bill Clinton engaged in wrongdoing in their associations with Epstein, according to lawmakers from both parties who attended the meeting.

Democrats dismissed that assertion as a bid for executive clemency.

“It’s very clear she’s campaigning for clemency,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat.

Another Democrat, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, said Maxwell appeared “robotic” and “unrepentant” during the short interaction.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, said he was “very disappointing” by Maxwell’s refusal to cooperate. Comer had subpoenaed her last year, but her legal team has repeatedly indicated she would not testify.

The deposition went ahead amid mounting pressure on Comer to enforce subpoenas against Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After Comer warned of potential contempt of Congress proceedings, both agreed to sit for depositions later this month.

Comer said Monday that the testimony would take place behind closed doors, with transcripts and video footage to be released afterward, despite ongoing discussions over whether the sessions should be public.


AP