Ghislaine Maxwell refuses to testify to Congress about Jeffrey Epstein
WASHINGTON – Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions on Monday from a House committee seeking information on who else might have helped them.
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring to entice minors to travel for illicit sex, invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid answering questions from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The refusal came despite her answering questions in July from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“Who is she protecting?” asked Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the committee.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department began allowing lawmakers to examine millions of unredacted documents from the Epstein files that haven’t been released publicly. The department has made public millions of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act but has withheld millions more that officials contend would reveal the names of people who accused Epstein of abuse or cover the department’s legal analysis of the case.
Political and business leaders including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton appear in pictures and documents in the files. While neither has been accused of wrongdoing, the critics of the secrecy contend that potential criminal defendants are being hidden.
The sponsors of a recent law calling for the release of all documents outside of narrow exceptions – Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. – said they would begin reviewing the documents Monday.
Massie has threatened to release the names of alleged accomplices if the department won’t. He asked followers on social media to make suggestions about what to look for in the files.
The House committee called Maxwell to testify as part of its investigation of how the Epstein case was handled. The chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said he aims to learn how the government failed Epstein’s victims. Other witnesses include Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who agreed to give depositions in late February.
Despite Maxwell’s refusal to testify, Khanna released the questions he planned to ask. Khanna wanted to ask her who are the four co-conspirators and 25 men who, she said in a December court filing, had entered secret settlements not to be indicted. Khanna also wanted to ask why the alleged accomplices weren’t prosecuted.
“Ghislane Maxwell trafficked and abused hundreds of young girls,” Khanna said on social media. “I will not rest until we have answers and survivors are granted justice.”
Comer said the committee has five more depositions scheduled: Feb. 18 with Les Wexner, a financial client of Epstein and former CEO of Victoria’s Secret; Feb. 26 with Hillary Clinton; Feb. 17 with Bill Clinton; March 11 with Richard Kahn, an Epstein accountant; and March 18 with Darren Indyke, an Epstein lawyer.
“We will continue to move forward and try to get answers for the American people,” Comer said.
Why did Maxwell speak to DOJ while snubbing Congress?
Maxwell hasn’t explained why she was willing to participate in two days of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Justice Department officials back in July, but is refusing to answer Congress’ questions now.
Several factors could be at work. For one, Blanche is a member of the Trump administration, and President Donald Trump has the power to grant Maxwell a pardon that would let her walk free. The interview could have been an avenue to plead directly for such clemency.
Maxwell was moved from a Florida prison to a cushier, lower-security facility in Texas soon after giving that interview. It’s possible she spoke to Blanche with the hope of that kind of perk. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Blanche granted Maxwell limited immunity for her testimony. According to the transcript of that interview, the Justice Department could prosecute her for lying to Blanche, but it couldn’t use her words against her in a later prosecution unless she chose to testify in her own defense.
Maxwell could also hope to use her potential testimony before Congress as leverage going forward.
In July, her lawyer wrote to Congress that she would be willing to testify after her different appeals against her criminal conviction had played out in the courts, assuming Congress met certain conditions. He said she wanted to testify in person instead of from prison, she wanted a guarantee that her congressional testimony couldn’t be used against her, and she wanted to see the questions in advance.
Maxwell would also be happy to speak to Congress if Trump gave her clemency, her lawyer added.
Speaking to reporters after the deposition, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-New Mexico, said Maxwell made clear that she sought clemency from Trump based on her silence.
“This was an effort to essentially try to secure her pardon by keeping her mouth shut,” Stansbury said.