Lawmakers Question Maxwell Behind Closed Doors
House Oversight Committee members will question Ghislaine Maxwell as part of their Epstein investigation. She is serving a 20 year federal sentence. Maxwell will appear virtually from a Texas prison at 10 a.m. ET.
The deposition will take place behind closed doors. The public will not see it unless the committee releases footage or transcripts later. Lawmakers expect the session to be short. Maxwell is likely to invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer questions.
Deposition Tied to Wider Congressional Effort
Chairman James Comer announced the deposition during discussions about holding Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress. The committee had requested their testimony in the same Epstein related probe.
Comer said his team negotiated with Maxwell’s lawyer for months. Committee attorneys believed she would plead the Fifth. Still, they secured a firm date for February 9.
The committee had planned to depose Maxwell in August. However, her lawyer asked to delay it. He wanted to wait for the Supreme Court to decide on her appeal. In October, the court declined to hear the case. That decision cleared the way for the deposition.
Meanwhile, contempt efforts against the Clintons slowed. Their attorneys agreed they would appear voluntarily on Capitol Hill. That agreement came just before the House planned a vote to refer them to the Justice Department.
Maxwell’s Criminal Conviction
A jury convicted Maxwell in December 2021. She helped Jeffrey Epstein recruit and abuse underage girls. Prosecutors said she groomed minors and arranged their exploitation.
At sentencing, the Justice Department said Maxwell played a direct role in luring vulnerable girls. She remains in federal custody.
The deposition marks another step in Congress’s review of Epstein’s associates. However, it is unclear whether new details will emerge.
