(AFP) – Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell refused Monday to answer questions from US lawmakers, but her attorney said she was prepared to speak if granted clemency by US President Donald Trump. Maxwell, 64, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to discuss her relations with Epstein.
Rather than answer the committee’s questions, however, the former British socialite invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate herself. A recording of the deposition released by the committee showed Maxwell speaking via video link, her eyes cast down at the table she was seated at in a Texas prison. She was asked about her and Epstein’s co-conspirators, whether they surrounded themselves with the rich and famous in order to “curry favor” and avoid scrutiny, and whether Trump ever engaged “in sexual activity with an individual introduced to him by you or Jeffrey Epstein.”
Wearing a drab, beige uniform, Maxwell repeated the phrase “I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence” until the committee gave up and called off their questioning early. Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, said she would be prepared to speak publicly if granted clemency by Trump. “If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path,” Markus said in a statement. Markus also said that Trump and former president Bill Clinton—both of whom were once friendly with Epstein—are “innocent of any wrongdoing.” “Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation,” he said.
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. She was convicted in 2021 of supplying underage girls to Epstein, who had ties to powerful business executives, politicians, celebrities, and academics. Her deposition comes amid the recent release by the Justice Department of millions of documents related to the government’s investigation into Epstein, many of which have been heavily redacted. The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), passed by Congress in November, compelled the Justice Department to release all of the records in its possession related to Epstein. It required the redaction of the names or personal identifying information about Epstein’s victims, who numbered more than 1,000 according to the FBI. But the EFTA said no records could be “withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”
– Congressional access to unredacted files – Members of Congress were given access to unredacted versions of the files Monday, though only under strict, in-person visits at secure Justice Department viewing locations. “I saw the names of lots of people who were redacted for mysterious or baffling or inscrutable reasons,” Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat, told reporters, including “people who were enablers and cooperators.” The Justice Department has said no new prosecutions are expected. Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican, said he discovered the names of six men whose identities have been redacted from the publicly released documents and who “are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files.” Massie declined to provide their identities but said one “is pretty high up in a foreign government.” He also posted on X a sordid 2009 email exchange between Epstein and a redacted sender discussing a “torture video.” Massie said the email exchange appeared to be with “a Sultan” and that the Department of Justice should make his identity public.
Later, on CNN, Massie said prominent businessman Les Wexner was listed as a “co-conspirator” in a 2019 child sex trafficking case, in a file that had been improperly redacted. Wexner is the billionaire behind women’s retailers and lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret. The House Oversight Committee has also summoned Clinton and his wife, 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 Republican-controlled committee.
– Robin LEGRAND
© 2024 AFP
