Watch: Ghislaine Maxwell refuses to testify to Congress, offers to speak if granted Trump clemency

Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, declined to answer questions from a congressional panel on Monday but said she would be willing to speak if granted clemency by President Donald Trump.

Maxwell, 64, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, had been subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to discuss her ties to Epstein.

Instead of responding, the former British socialite refused to answer the committee’s questions, citing her legal right to avoid self-incrimination.

“As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions,” AFP quoted committee chairman James Comer as saying. “This is obviously very disappointing.”

“We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed as well as questions about potential co-conspirators,” he said.

Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, said she would be willing to speak publicly if granted clemency by President Trump.

More from World

Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded the fifth before US Congress: What does it mean? Funding expires, DHS begins orderly shutdown as Congress deadlock persists

“If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path,” AFP quoted Markus as saying in a statement.

“Ms Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” Markus added.

Markus added that Trump and former president Bill Clinton — both of whom had been friendly with Epstein — are “innocent of any wrongdoing.”

“Ms Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation,” he said.

Maxwell is the only person convicted in connection with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

Quick Reads

View All

US-Iran tension: Third round of nuclear talks begin in Geneva — can it avoid war?

‘You have an amazingly efficient government’: Netanyahu praises PM Modi during Israel visit

She was convicted in 2021 of supplying underage girls to Epstein, who had ties to prominent business figures, politicians, celebrities, and academics.

She had been subpoenaed to testify virtually from the Texas prison where she is serving her 20-year sentence.

Her deposition comes amid the recent release by the Justice Department of millions of documents, photographs, and videos related to the Epstein investigation.

While the department has said no new prosecutions are expected, several political and business leaders have faced scrutiny or resigned after their connections to Epstein were revealed in the files.

Watch the video here:

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Watch the moment Ghislaine Maxwell pleads the Fifth during her deposition.

She was asked if she was a close friend of Epstein, if she helped him traffic girls, and if she instructed girls to provide sexual favors, among other questions.

Total silence. pic.twitter.com/6yYAyqlw7y

— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) February 9, 2026

‘Unrepentant’

Democratic lawmaker Suhas Subramanyam, who attended the closed-door deposition by Maxwell, said she was “unrepentant.”

“She was very robotic, and you know, she was not at all remorseful about pleading the Fifth today,” Subramanyam said. “This is all strategy for her to try to get a pardon from President Trump.”

The House Oversight Committee has also summoned Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, to testify about their interactions with Epstein.

The Clintons have called for their depositions to be held publicly to prevent Republicans from politicizing their testimony.

Trump was once a close friend of Epstein but has not been called to testify by the House Oversight Committee, which is led by members of his Republican Party.

Trump fought for months to prevent release of the vast trove of documents about Epstein but a rebellion among Republicans forced him to sign off on a law mandating release of all the records.

The extraordinary move reflected intense political pressure to address what many Americans, including Trump’s own supporters, have long suspected to be a cover-up to protect rich and powerful men in Epstein’s orbit.

With inputs from agencies