Ghislaine Maxwell to Testify Before US Congress in Epstein Probe
– Ghislaine Maxwell, the incarcerated associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has agreed to testify under oath before the congressional committee investigating the federal government’s handling of Epstein-related files.
– Committee chairman James Comer, who is spearheading the inquiry, announced that Maxwell will provide her deposition virtually on February 9.
– Maxwell’s legal team has indicated that she may refuse to answer questions under her constitutional right to remain silent unless granted legal immunity.
– Her lawyers have suggested she will plead the Fifth, Comer stated, referencing the Fifth Amendment’s provision allowing individuals to decline to speak to authorities.
– The announcement from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee comes amidst ongoing scrutiny of the Trump administration’s management of the Epstein case.
– Currently, Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in recruiting and trafficking teenage girls for Epstein’s sexual abuse.
– In July, the committee declined to offer her legal immunity in exchange for testimony. Subsequently, in August, they issued a legal summons requiring her to provide evidence under oath.
– Maxwell’s attorneys described the requirement to testify from prison without immunity as non-starters, emphasizing the risks of further criminal exposure in such a politically charged environment.
– They argued that, without formal immunity, proceeding with the deposition would be pure political theater and a waste of taxpayer money, claiming it would yield no substantial testimony or new information.
– While House lawmakers cannot compel Maxwell to waive her Fifth Amendment protections, her legal team reiterated her refusal to testify.
– Convicted in 2021, Maxwell appealed her conviction to the Supreme Court last October, but the court declined to take up her case. The only way for her to secure an early release from prison might be through a presidential pardon or persuading a federal judge in New York to amend her sentence.
– The White House has denied any intent by Trump to grant her clemency, although he has not completely ruled it out.
– Separately, the Department of Justice faced a December 19 deadline to release all remaining Epstein files in its possession, with only a fraction made public thus far.
– Lawmakers across the political spectrum have criticized the high number of redactions in the documents, which are permitted only to protect victims’ identities and ongoing criminal investigations.
– Additionally, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee has voted to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for their noncompliance with subpoenas related to the Epstein investigation.
– Both Clintons had been summoned to testify about their connections to Epstein, with Bill Clinton having appeared in photographs with him during the 1990s and early 2000s.
– Despite being photographed with Epstein, Bill Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s survivors and has denied any knowledge of his criminal activities.
– The Clintons’ legal representatives have characterized the subpoenas as unenforceable, claiming they previously provided the committee with limited relevant information regarding Epstein. The committee’s contempt measure received bipartisan support and, if passed by the full House, will be referred to the Justice Department.
– In related news, new Epstein files have surfaced highlighting potential co-conspirators and revealing that officials discovered an additional one million documents pertaining to the Epstein case, escalating interest and scrutiny around the investigation.