Ghislaine Maxwell Pleads the Fifth, Refusing to Answer Questions in House Epstein Investigation

Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded the Fifth Amendment during her deposition Monday for the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into her longtime partner, deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell was expected to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination rather than answer the Oversight Committee’s questions in a closed-door setting. Her deposition occurred after months of negotiations with lawmakers as the Oversight Committee investigates Epstein’s sordid activities.

“Unfortunately, she had an opportunity today to answer questions that every American has, questions that would be very important in this investigation, and she chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights,” House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) told reporters afterwards.

Comer said the Oversight Committee has five more depositions scheduled for the Epstein investigation in the next few weeks. He also suggested that video will be released from Maxwell’s brief appearance before the committee.

The committee subpoenaed Maxwell in July at the start of its investigation into Epstein’s sexual abuse and the federal government’s files related to it. Maxwell previously demanded full-scale immunity in exchange for her testimony, a request Comer rejected as the two sides negotiated her appearance.

Maxwell appeared for the deposition virtually because she is serving a 20-year prison sentence on federal sex-trafficking charges. She was moved to a lower-security facility last summer following an interview with the Justice Department where she made flattering remarks about Trump’s behavior while he was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s. Trump has not been credibly accused of wrongdoing in connection to his friendship with Epstein.

The Oversight Committee launched its Epstein investigation after the Trump administration decided not to release the federal government’s documents related to Epstein. The bipartisan congressional investigation prompted Epstein’s estate to release multiple batches of files, including a controversial 2003 birthday card Trump allegedly sent Epstein for his 50th. Trump claims the birthday letter is fake and sued the Wall Street Journal for first reporting on it. The president has repeatedly called the Epstein files a “hoax” conjured up by Democrats in order to dismiss their significance.

More recently, the administration has been releasing millions of documents from the Epstein files to comply with bipartisan legislation passed last year requiring the Justice Department to publish the files. The administration has been releasing files after the deadline imposed by Congress because the millions of documents must be examined and partially redacted to protect victim identities and censor pornographic materials.

Before the files came out, Epstein’s network of political leaders, businessmen, academics, entertainers, and other celebrities was widely known. But the files have provided new details about the depth of Epstein’s friendships with powerful figures who previously claimed their interactions with him were only brief. Fresh faces have also popped up in the files who were not previously known as friends of Epstein’s. It remains to be seen whether the administration will pursue charges against anybody implicated in the Epstein files.

Later this month, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are scheduled to testify for the Oversight Committee’s Epstein investigation. The Clintons chose to testify instead of potentially facing contempt of Congress charges and criminal prosecution. They have demanded the high-profile hearing be held publicly rather than behind closed doors.

Bill Clinton and Epstein were friends in the 1990s, to the point where Epstein appeared at Clinton’s White House. Among the first batch of Epstein files were photos of Clinton alongside women whose identities were hidden. Like Trump, Clinton has not been credibly accused of wrongdoing during his friendship with Epstein. Trump has ordered the Justice Department to investigate Clinton and other prominent Democrats linked to Epstein, but nothing has come of it thus far.

Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide, an assessment the Trump administration backed based on its review of the evidence. Epstein’s untimely death remains the subject of online fascination because of his network of powerful contacts.