Deposition Ends Quickly After Refusal to Answer Questions
Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment rights Monday during a House Oversight Committee deposition tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The closed door session ended less than an hour after it began.
Lawmakers met with Maxwell virtually as part of their bipartisan review into how federal officials handled Epstein’s case. She declined to answer questions, as several committee members had expected.
Maxwell is serving a 20 year federal prison sentence in Texas. A jury convicted her in December 2021 for helping Epstein recruit and abuse underage girls. At sentencing, the Justice Department said she played a direct role in grooming victims and enabling their exploitation.
Lawmakers Anticipated Her Response
Committee Chairman James Comer and Representative Ro Khanna both signaled ahead of time that Maxwell would likely refuse to testify. Comer had previously announced that the committee secured a deposition date after months of negotiation with her legal team.
He delayed an earlier session at the request of Maxwell’s attorney. Her lawyer asked lawmakers to wait until the Supreme Court decided whether it would hear her appeal. In October, the court declined to take up the case.
As a result, the committee rescheduled the deposition for early February. However, Maxwell chose not to provide testimony once the session began.
Broader Epstein Investigation Continues
The deposition forms part of a wider congressional review into the government’s handling of Epstein’s criminal case. Lawmakers are also seeking testimony from former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Earlier efforts to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress stalled. Their attorneys later agreed that both would appear voluntarily before the committee. That decision paused a potential House vote to refer them to the Justice Department for criminal charges.
Meanwhile, lawmakers continue examining how authorities managed the Epstein investigation and prosecution. Although Maxwell declined to speak, the committee’s probe remains ongoing.
