Epstein accomplice Maxwell seeks clemency from Trump before testimony

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell refused Monday to answer questions from U.S. lawmakers, but her attorney said she was prepared to speak if granted clemency by U.S. President Donald Trump.

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

Rather than answer the committee's questions, however, the former British socialite invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate herself.

A recording of the deposition released by the committee showed Maxwell speaking via video link, her eyes cast down at the table she was seated at in a Texas prison.

She was asked about her and Epstein's co-conspirators, whether they surrounded themselves with the rich and famous in order to "curry favor" and avoid scrutiny, and whether Trump ever engaged "in sexual activity with an individual introduced to him by you or Jeffrey Epstein."

Wearing a drab, beige uniform, Maxwell repeated the phrase "I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence" until the committee gave up and called off their questioning early.

Maxwell's attorney, David Markus, said she would be prepared to speak publicly if granted clemency by Trump.

"If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path," Markus said in a statement.

Markus also said that Trump and former president Bill Clinton -- both of whom were once 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 of a crime in connection with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

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

Her deposition comes amid the recent release by the Justice Department of millions of documents related to the government's investigation into Epstein, many of which have been heavily redacted.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), passed by Congress in November, compelled the Justice Department to release all of the records in its possession related to Epstein.

It required the redaction of the names or personal identifying information about Epstein's victims, who numbered more than 1,000 according to the FBI.

But the EFTA said no records could be "withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary."

AFP