Silence Before Lawmakers
Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions from the US House Oversight Committee on Monday as lawmakers reopened investigations into Epstein’s network. Appearing via video from a federal prison camp in Texas, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, Maxwell repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to cooperate with the inquiry.
Pardon Offer and Political Fallout
Maxwell’s legal team said she would be willing to testify if President Donald Trump granted her clemency. Her attorney, David Oscar Markus, claimed Maxwell was prepared to say that neither Trump nor former President Bill Clinton committed any wrongdoing in their associations with Epstein. The offer was met with immediate backlash from both parties. Lawmakers accused Maxwell of leveraging her silence for personal gain, with some bluntly rejecting any possibility of a pardon and demanding accountability instead.
Renewed Scrutiny Amid Ongoing Appeals
The controversy comes as Maxwell continues to challenge her conviction. After the Supreme Court rejected her appeal last year, she filed a new request in December asking a federal judge to review what her lawyers describe as newly discovered evidence and constitutional violations during her trial. With millions of Epstein-related documents recently released and renewed attention on how young girls were abused over years, Maxwell is once again at the center of a widening investigation—one she appears unwilling to engage with unless her own fate is reconsidered.
