Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Appeals for Clemency from Trump/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer House lawmakers’ questions, invoking her Fifth Amendment rights. Her attorney said she would testify fully if President Donald Trump granted her clemency. The move sparked bipartisan backlash as Congress reviews unredacted Epstein files.
Ghislaine Maxwell Clemency Appeal Quick Looks
- Maxwell invokes Fifth Amendment during House deposition
- Attorney says she would testify if Trump commutes her sentence
- Claims Trump and Bill Clinton committed no wrongdoing
- Bipartisan backlash to clemency appeal
- Survivors’ families condemn Maxwell’s actions
- Lawmakers review unredacted Epstein files at DOJ
- Pressure grows for accountability of Epstein associates
Deep Look: Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Appeals for Clemency from Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime confidante and former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, declined to answer questions from House lawmakers, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination — while simultaneously signaling that she would testify if Donald Trump were to end her prison sentence.
Maxwell appeared via video from a federal prison camp in Texas, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. The House Oversight Committee had subpoenaed her as part of its investigation into how Epstein, a wealthy and politically connected financier, was able to sexually abuse underage girls for years.
Video later released by the committee showed Maxwell wearing a brown prison uniform and sitting at a conference table with a bottle of water as she repeatedly invoked “my Fifth Amendment right to silence.”
Clemency Offer Raises Outrage
In a statement submitted during the closed-door deposition, Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus told lawmakers that Maxwell was “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”
Markus said Maxwell would testify that Trump and former President Bill Clinton “are innocent of any wrongdoing” related to Epstein — and claimed that “Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why.”
Democrats quickly condemned the move as an attempt to bargain her freedom.
“It’s very clear she’s campaigning for clemency,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury.
The White House pointed to Trump’s previous statements suggesting that a pardon or commutation for Maxwell is not under consideration. Several Republicans also forcefully rejected the idea.
“NO CLEMENCY,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wrote on social media. “You comply or face punishment.”
Legal Battles Continue
Maxwell has continued to challenge her conviction, arguing she was wrongfully tried. The Supreme Court rejected her appeal last year, but in December her attorneys asked a federal judge in New York to consider what they described as substantial new evidence of constitutional violations during her trial.
Markus cited that ongoing litigation as justification for Maxwell’s refusal to testify.
Families of Epstein’s victims also weighed in sharply. Relatives of the late Virginia Giuffre released a letter rejecting any portrayal of Maxwell as a peripheral figure.
“You were a central, deliberate actor in a system built to find children, isolate them, groom them, and deliver them to abuse,” wrote Giuffre’s siblings, Sky and Amanda Roberts.
Political Pressure and Clinton Depositions
The deposition came amid rising pressure on Oversight Chairman James Comer to enforce subpoenas against high-profile political figures. Comer previously threatened contempt proceedings against Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after which both agreed to sit for depositions later this month.
Comer reiterated that those sessions will be conducted behind closed doors, with transcripts and video released afterward.
Lawmakers Review Unredacted Epstein Files
As Maxwell declined to testify, lawmakers began reviewing unredacted Epstein files at the Department of Justice. Under strict rules, members were given access to more than three million documents in a secure reading room, barred from bringing staff and limited to handwritten notes.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said it would take months to review the materials fully.
Democrats plan to sharply question Attorney General Pam Bondi during a Wednesday hearing, criticizing the department for releasing victims’ personal information — including nude photos — while continuing to redact details about Epstein’s associates.
Rep. Thomas Massie, who sponsored the law forcing the release, said he identified six men he believes are “likely incriminated” by their inclusion in the files and urged accountability.
California Rep. Ro Khanna said the files reinforced that “it wasn’t just Epstein and Maxwell” involved in the abuse.
Global Fallout, Lingering Questions
The Epstein document release has triggered political crises abroad, including in the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces intense scrutiny over Epstein-linked officials. In the U.S., however, lawmakers worry that powerful figures may escape consequences.
“I’m afraid the degradation of American life has conditioned people not to take this as seriously as we should,” Raskin said.
For now, Maxwell remains silent — her appeal for clemency rebuffed — as lawmakers continue digging through millions of pages in search of accountability long demanded by survivors.
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