Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who pled the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, said she would only testify on the convicted pedophile’s crimes if President Donald Trump grants her clemency, her lawyer said.
Maxwell appeared virtually from prison before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, but she kept quiet, using her constitutional right against self-incrimination. After her deposition, the convicted sex trafficker’s lawyer, David Markus, said that Maxwell would “speak fully and honestly” about her knowledge of her and Epstein’s crimes if Trump granted her clemency. Markus said that Maxwell would also “explain why” both Trump and former President Bill Clinton are “innocent of any wrongdoing,” CBS News reported.
“If this committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path. Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” Markus said. “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.”
House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said following the deposition that he was “disappointed,” but not surprised by Maxwell’s refusal to talk.
“We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators,” Comer said. “We sincerely want to get to the truth for the American people and justice for survivors.”
Maxwell is currently serving out a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme and has been pushing for a pardon from President Trump, who has shown no indication that he’s considering what would be one of the most controversial pardons in U.S. history.
Both Trump and Clinton appear numerous times in the photos and documents from Epstein’s estate that have been released by the Justice Department, but none of the evidence incriminates the presidents in any wrongdoing related to Epstein’s crimes. Trump and Clinton have also not been accused of any wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims.
In a 2019 interview with the Justice Department, then-Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter said that Trump called him in 2006 as Epstein crimes came to light and said that “everyone has known he’s been doing this.” The interview, which was part of the Justice Department’s Epstein files dump, was first reported on by the Miami Herald on Monday. Trump also told the police chief in 2006 to “focus on” Maxwell, saying, “She is evil,” according to Reiter.
Maxwell met with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for multiple hours-long interviews in July and was grilled for information on Epstein and those associated with him. During the interview with Blanche, Maxwell confirmed that high-profile men, such as Trump and Clinton, had close ties with Epstein, but added she never saw either man act inappropriately with a woman of any age. Maxwell had glowing remarks for Trump, telling the Justice Department, “The president was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”
During her deposition on Monday, Maxwell’s lawyer again said that Maxwell has no reason to believe that Trump or Clinton are guilty of any wrongdoing, according to Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, who was at the closed-door hearing. Democrat Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia said that Maxwell’s proposition “is all strategy for her to try to get a pardon from President Trump.”
The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, claimed that Maxwell has already been given “special treatment” by the White House. Shortly after her meeting with the Justice Department last summer, Maxwell was moved from a low-security prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison in Texas. In October, the Supreme Court declined to hear Maxwell’s appeal to overturn her conviction.
Trump said last July that he had “not thought about” pardoning Maxwell. Three months later, Trump said he would “take a look at” Maxwell’s case and “speak to the DOJ.”
“A lot of people have asked me for a pardon,” he added.
Later this month, the House Oversight is scheduled to grill former President Clinton and former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton over their ties to Epstein.
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