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Maxwell asks for mercy to testify, but Democrats won't tolerate it - Euronews Albania

2026-02-09 21:26:49Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions from the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Monday.

Maxwell appeared virtually for a closed-door testimony from the Texas prison where he is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said that "as expected," Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment, invoking her right to remain silent.

“This is obviously very disappointing,” he said. “We had a lot of questions to ask about the crimes that she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential accomplices.”

"We sincerely want to find the truth for the American people and justice for the survivors, that's what this investigation is about," Comer added.

The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives Americans the right to avoid self-incrimination by refusing to answer questions while under oath.

Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury told reporters after the hearing that Maxwell took the opportunity to "campaign for mercy."

Comer said that from talking to Epstein survivors it was clear "that Maxwell was a very bad person" who did not deserve any kind of immunity.

In a social media post earlier, Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said Maxwell was "prepared to speak fully and honestly if President Trump granted him clemency."

"Only she can give the full story. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters," he wrote.

In a letter sent to the House Oversight Committee before Maxwell's appearance, a group of Epstein survivors urged lawmakers to be skeptical of any information provided by Maxwell.

They criticized her for refusing to identify the "many powerful men" involved in Epstein's trafficking operation and her refusals to "fully cooperate" with law enforcement, saying any "special treatment" or "credibility given to her testimony" would be disastrous for survivors.

The White House has previously said that "no relief is being granted or discussed" regarding Maxwell.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein, her ex-boyfriend, to exploit. Epstein died in prison in 2019. She is seeking an apology from Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials.

In a letter to Comer before the testimony, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said he planned to ask Maxwell about a court document she filed last year that said there were "four named associates" and 25 others who were not indicted as part of the Epstein investigation.

He also planned to ask about her and the late financier's "social relationship" with Donald Trump, and whether the US president ever discussed a possible pardon for Maxwell with her defense team.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, with whom he says he cut off contact decades ago, and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein's victims.

Khanna said Maxwell’s decision not to answer questions from the Oversight Committee “seems inconsistent with Ms. Maxwell’s prior conduct, as she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment when she previously met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss substantially similar matters.”

According to a Justice Department transcript of that meeting in July, Maxwell told Blanche — who had previously worked as Trump's personal lawyer — that she had not witnessed any inappropriate behavior by Donald Trump or former US President Bill Clinton and that a rumored Epstein "client list" did not exist.

Monday's statement was originally scheduled for last August, but was postponed by Comer after a request from Maxwell's lawyers to await a Supreme Court ruling regarding her case.

The evidence comes as the US Justice Department has released millions of pages of new files from its investigation into the disgraced financier, after a law mandating their disclosure was passed by Congress last year.

Members of Congress will be allowed to view unedited versions of nearly three million pages in person at the Justice Department starting Monday, the BBC's US news partner CBS reported.

"I think it's very good that the Justice Department is allowing members of Congress to come in and see all the unedited versions of the documents," Comer told reporters at the Capitol on Monday.

A group of Epstein survivors released a video on Sunday calling for further transparency about the redactions and some unreleased files.

Blanche has denied any accusations of a cover-up, previously saying that the notion of a "hidden piece of information from men we know" and that the Justice Department is choosing not to prosecute is not true.


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