Ghislaine Maxwell’s refusal to answer questions before Congress draws criticism: ‘Who is she protecting?’

 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s refusal to answer questions before Congress draws criticism: ‘Who is she protecting?’

 

Democratic representative says Epstein associate’s decision to invoke fifth amendment points to ‘White House cover-up’

 

Victoria Bekiempis

Mon 9 Feb 2026 22.40 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/09/ghislaine-maxwell-congress-deposition

 

Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions during a closed-door congressional deposition on Monday, prompting criticism from a House representative backing efforts to release Jeffrey Epstein investigative files.

 

Robert Garcia, ranking member of the committee on oversight and government reform, said in a statement that Maxwell invoked the fifth amendment and refused to testify during her scheduled deposition. Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, also said that she invoked her fifth amendment right.

 

“After months of defying our subpoena, Ghislaine Maxwell finally appeared before the oversight committee and said nothing,” said Garcia, a California Democrat. “She answered no questions and provided no information about the men who raped and trafficked women and girls.

 

“Who is she protecting? And we need to know why she’s been given special treatment at a low security prison by the Trump administration. We are going to end this White House cover-up.”

 

Maxwell, who was convicted of luring teen girls into Epstein’s abusive orbit, is serving a 20-year sentence.

 

“On my advice, Ghislaine Maxwell will respectfully invoke her fifth amendment right to silence and decline to answer questions today even though she would very much like to answer your questions,” Markus, her attorney, told the committee, according to a statement he posted on X. “She must remain silent because Ms Maxwell has a habeas petition currently pending that demonstrates that her conviction rests on a fundamentally unfair trial.

 

“If this committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path,” he added. “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.”

 

The White House was approached for comment. A spokesperson pointed to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s prior comments on the pardon issue, in which she said it wasn’t something Trump was thinking about or discussing.

 

Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative who co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) with Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, noted before Monday’s session that Maxwell’s expected silence conflicted with her apparent willingness to provide information this summer. Maxwell in July sat down with Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s deputy attorney general, for a two-day interview.

 

“This position appears inconsistent with Ms Maxwell’s prior conduct, as she did not invoke the fifth amendment when she previously met with deputy attorney general Todd Blanche to discuss substantially similar subject matter,” Khanna said.

 

“Ghislaine answered every single question asked of her over the last day and a half. She answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability,” Markus, her lawyer, said after the interview. “She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question.”

 

Under questioning from Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s criminal defense attorney, Maxwell largely distanced the president from Epstein. Trump has for months faced a political minefield after he flip-flopped on his campaign promise to release the Epstein files.

 

Trump is not accused of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has denied misconduct. Trump has also said that he and Epstein had a falling-out and called these files a hoax, despite signing the EFTA.

 

Khanna also provided the list of questions he had planned on asking Maxwell. He planned on querying her on the “four named co-conspirators” and 25 men who brokered secret settlements that she mentioned in her ill-fated US supreme court bid for relief.

 

“Is that statement accurate?” Khanna intended to ask. “Who are the four co-conspirators and the 25 men, other than Jeffrey Epstein, who sexually abused minors at Epstein’s island?”

 

Khanna said he had also planned on asking Maxwell about “client lists” or records that named his associates.

 

The Department of Justice has contended that there is no list of names identifying men who participated in Epstein’s abuse. Recently released documents, and prior legal proceedings and accusers’ statements, have raised questions about that assertion.

 

Asked for comment on expectations that Maxwell would invoke the fifth ahead of the session, her brother Ian said: “Ghislaine has been advised and will invoke her fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination and decline to answer questions.”