(AFP) – Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell refused on Monday to answer questions from a US congressional committee, invoking her legal right against self-incrimination, lawmakers said. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, was subpoenaed to testify before the House Oversight Committee to discuss her relations with the disgraced financier.
Republican committee chairman James Comer said Maxwell had invoked her right to not incriminate herself, guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution. “As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions,” Comer told reporters. “This is obviously very disappointing.” He added, “We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed as well as questions about potential co-conspirators.”
Maxwell’s lawyers told the House panel that the former British socialite was prepared to testify only if she was first granted clemency by President Donald Trump, Comer said. The lawyers had pushed for Congress to grant her legal immunity in order to testify, but lawmakers refused. Maxwell is the only person convicted of a crime in connection with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
The 64-year-old Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of supplying underage girls to the wealthy financier, who had ties to top business executives, politicians, celebrities, and academics. Maxwell was scheduled to testify virtually from the Texas prison where she is serving her sentence. Her deposition comes amid the release by the Justice Department of millions of documents, photographs, and videos related to the investigation into Epstein.
The Justice Department has said no new prosecutions are expected, but a number of political and business leaders have been tarnished by scandal or resigned after their ties with Epstein were revealed in the files. The House committee has also summoned former Democratic president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton to testify about their interactions with Epstein. The Clintons have called for their depositions to be held publicly to prevent Republicans from politicizing their testimony.
Trump was once a close friend of Epstein but has not been called to testify by the House Oversight Committee, which is led by members of his Republican Party. Neither the Clintons nor Trump have been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. Last year Maxwell was moved to a minimum-security prison in Texas after meeting twice with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer.
– Robin LEGRAND
© 2024 AFP
