Washington: Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has refused to answer questions before the US Congress, as her lawyer says she will clear President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing in exchange for clemency from her 20-year prison sentence.
Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right to silence when she appeared before a congressional committee by video-link from jail on Monday (Washington time), amid the ongoing fallout from the release of the so-called Epstein files.
Her attorney David Oscar Markus said Maxwell would like to answer questions but must remain silent as she has a petition before the legal system challenging the fairness of her trial and conviction.
He then made an extraordinary pitch directly to Trump that Maxwell would offer the country the “unfiltered truth” – including clearing the names of Trump and former president Bill Clinton – in exchange for clemency.
“If this committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path,” Markus told the closed-door congressional hearing, and later posted to social media.
“Ms Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump. Only she can provide the complete account.
“Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Ms Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation.”
Under the Trump administration, Maxwell has already been moved to a lower security prison, and Trump has repeatedly not ruled out a pardon or commutation of Maxwell’s sentence – though he says it is something he hasn’t actively considered.
Republican James Comer, chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, confirmed Maxwell refused to answer any questions by invoking her Fifth Amendment rights.
“This obviously is very disappointing,” he told reporters in Washington. “We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get the truth to the American people and justice for the survivors.”
Ro Khanna, the top Democrat on the committee, noted Maxwell did not plead the Fifth when interviewed by deputy attorney-general Todd Blanche in July last year. Blanche is one of Trump’s former personal lawyers.
“My view is that many of my questions don’t in any way incriminate her,” Khanna said. “Why did she not plead the Fifth when Blanche asked her questions, and now she’s pleading the Fifth about things that don’t implicate her but may implicate many of the other powerful people in the Epstein class.”
The committee has five further depositions scheduled: Epstein’s former high-profile client and former Victoria’s Secret chief executive Les Wexner, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Epstein’s former accountant and lawyer.
Maxwell, the daughter of British media proprietor Robert Maxwell, is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse girls.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.