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By Goli Innocent
Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite convicted for her role in the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking network, has indicated she would be willing to testify before the US Congress but only if she is granted presidential clemency by President Donald Trump.
Maxwell, 64, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking, appeared virtually before the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
Rather than answer questions about her relations with Epstein and possible co-conspirators, she repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, declining to respond to lawmakers’ inquiries.
Committee Chairman James Comer expressed disappointment after the brief session, saying, “As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions. This is obviously very disappointing.”
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, later issued a statement saying his client “would be prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” framing it as a clear path for the public to hear what she knows about Epstein’s crimes.
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In the same statement, Markus claimed that both Trump and former President Bill Clinton, who were once socially linked to Epstein, are “innocent of any wrongdoing,” and suggested that Maxwell alone could explain the full context of events.
Maxwell is the only person convicted in connection with Epstein’s criminal enterprise. She was found guilty in 2021 of supplying underage girls to Epstein and assisting his trafficking scheme.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Her deposition comes amid wider scrutiny of Epstein’s network, following the release of millions of pages of previously classified government documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compelled the US Department of Justice to share records related to its investigations.
Lawmakers had hoped Maxwell’s testimony would shed light on unanswered questions about Epstein’s associates and possible co-conspirators.
Her current offer ties public cooperation to an unlikely political concession, placing renewed focus on the intersection of high-profile criminal cases and executive clemency powers.
