WASHINGTON (AP) – Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, refused to respond to inquiries from House lawmakers during a deposition held on Monday. However, she hinted that she would be willing to testify about President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton if Trump were to grant her clemency, asserting that neither he nor Clinton had engaged in any wrongdoing concerning their associations with Epstein.
The House Oversight Committee sought to question Maxwell via video call while she is serving a 20-year sentence in a federal prison camp in Texas for sex trafficking. However, she invoked her Fifth Amendment rights to refrain from providing potentially self-incriminating responses. Lawmakers are launching investigations into how Epstein, a financier with extensive connections, managed to perpetuate sexual abuse against underage girls over many years.
The ongoing examination of Epstein’s abuse has reached the highest echelons of various businesses and governments around the world. This scrutiny has included revelations of Trump's and Clinton's associations with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, although both individuals have yet to face credible accusations of wrongdoing. During the deposition, Maxwell appeared in a brown, prison-issued shirt and consistently cited her “Fifth Amendment right to silence,” as captured in video footage released by the committee.
Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, remarked that “Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.” He further emphasized that Trump and Clinton "are innocent of any wrongdoing," while contending that “Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation.” Many Democrats viewed this as a blatant attempt by Maxwell to solicit clemency from Trump. Representative Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat from New Mexico, characterized her request as a clear campaign for clemency.
When questioned about Maxwell's appeal, the White House referenced President Trump's previous comments indicating that the possibility of a pardon was not being considered. Following Maxwell's request, several Republicans were quick to dismiss it, with Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna stating on social media, “NO CLEMENCY. You comply or face punishment. You deserve JUSTICE for what you did, you monster.” Maxwell is also pursuing an appeal to overturn her conviction, claiming that she was wrongfully convicted. This appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court last year; however, she filed a request in December for a federal judge in New York to examine what her legal counsel described as “substantial new evidence” suggesting that her trial was marred by constitutional violations.
Families of Virginia Giuffre, a prominent victim of Epstein’s abuse, released a letter to Maxwell stating that they do not perceive her as a mere bystander. In their correspondence, Sky and Amanda Roberts express that Maxwell was “a central, deliberate actor in a system built to find children, isolate them, groom them, and deliver them to abuse.” Recently, Maxwell was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to a low-security prison in Texas following two days of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. She had been subpoenaed by Representative James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, who faced mounting pressure to conduct the deposition as he sought to enforce subpoenas on Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
In the meantime, several lawmakers visited a Justice Department office in Washington to review unredacted versions of Epstein-related files, which were released to comply with a law enacted by Congress last year. Lawmakers accessed over three million files in a designated reading room, limited to handwritten notes, with no staff allowed inside. Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, stated that it could take months to sift through all the documents, even if all House members involved worked tirelessly at the Justice Department.
Democrats are preparing for an upcoming hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi, where they are expected to question her rigorously about the release of Epstein’s files. The Justice Department has been criticized for inadvertently disclosing personal information about numerous victims, which included images. Jennifer Freeman, representing survivors, expressed her dismay at the situation, describing it as feeling both incompetent and intimidating, while emphasizing the substantial damage already caused.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky and sponsor of the legislation for the files' release, found names of several individuals who may be compromised by their association with Epstein. He called for the Justice Department to pursue accountability, suggesting he might disclose names on the House floor to protected from lawsuits. Massie, alongside Representative Ro Khanna, also noted that numerous documents still contained redactions, potentially due to the FBI's delivery of redacted versions to the Justice Department.
The release of Epstein’s files has triggered multiple political crises across the globe, notably in the UK's political landscape. Democratic lawmakers expressed concern that U.S. political figures appear to evade accountability. Raskin voiced his fears over the general degradation of American life, cautioning that it has led to a diminished seriousness regarding these troubling matters.
