Washington — Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions during a virtual appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Monday.
Her lawyer said she would be willing to cooperate with the panel’s probe if President Trump grants her clemency, and would testify that the president is “innocent of any wrongdoing.”
“As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions. This obviously is very disappointing,” chairman James Comer told reporters after the deposition. “We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions bout potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get to the truth for the American people and justice for survivors.”
Comer said the committee has five more depositions scheduled as part of its investigation into Epstein. Among those set to testify are three members of Epstein’s inner circle: Les Wexner, who was one of his clients and a longtime benefactor; Richard Kahn, his accountant; and Darren Indyke, his lawyer, Comer said.
David Markus, Maxwell’s attorney, read a statement to the Oversight panel. He said his client had to remain silent because of a pending legal petition filed with the federal court in New York. But he said the committee could hear from Maxwell if she received clemency.
“If this committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path. Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” Markus said. “Only she can provide the complete account. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, suggested Maxwell was trying to protect others by refusing to answer questions and said she was given “special treatment” by the Trump administration. Maxwell was transferred from a low-security correctional institute in Florida to a minimum security prison camp in Texas after meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last summer.
“After months of defying our subpoena, Ghislaine Maxwell finally appeared before the Oversight Committee and said nothing. She answered no questions and provided no information about the men who raped and trafficked women and girls,” Garcia said in a statement.
Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican from Arizona, told reporters following the deposition that Maxwell’s lawyer said she has no indication that either Mr. Trump or former President Bill Clinton are culpable for any wrongdoing.
But Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat from Virginia, said Maxwell’s offer to speak on the record to absolve Mr. Trump and Clinton are part of an effort to drum up support from both parties for clemency.
“This is all strategy for her to try to get a pardon from President Trump, and she’s never shown any remorse for the victims in this entire case,” he told reporters, adding that Maxwell was “unrepentant” and “robotic” in her appearance before lawmakers.
Maxwell was convicted of federal sex-trafficking charges in 2021 for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse minor girls with Epstein. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell for testimony in July 2025. Soon after, Markus told Comer in a letter that she would be willing to answer questions from the committee if they granted her immunity or if she received clemency from Mr. Trump. Without those assurances, Markus said Maxwell would have to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights.
The lack of answers from Maxwell stands in contrast to the interview that she participated in with Blanche last July. The interview spanned two days, and Maxwell answered questions about her relationship with Epstein and others in his orbit, according to a transcript released by the Justice Department. She was moved to the prison camp in Bryan, Texas, shortly after the meeting with Blanche, and no reason was given for Maxwell’s transfer.
Prosecutors put Maxwell at the center of Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring and said that for roughly a decade, she helped him recruit, groom and abuse victims who were under the age of 18. She shows up extensively in records released by the Justice Department in recent months under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The law, passed by Congress and signed by Mr. Trump in November, required the Justice Department to make public all of its material related to its investigations into Epstein and Maxwell.
As part of its own probe of Epstein’s case, the Oversight Committee has demanded documents from the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate. It also issued subpoenas to a slew of former attorneys general and FBI directors, as well as Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
While the Clintons initially rebuffed the demands for their testimony, calling the subpoenas “invalid and legally unenforceable,” they agreed to appear for depositions later this month after facing a contempt of Congress vote.