Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell will be questioned by US Congress on Monday, although it is expected that she will not answer any questions and invoke a constitutional privilege.
According to a letter on Sunday from US Representative Ro Khanna, Maxwell intends to invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and refuse to answer all substantive questions at the deposition before the US House’s Committee on Oversight.
Instead of answering individual questions, Maxwell plans to read a prepared statement at the beginning of her deposition, Khanna, who serves on the committee, said in his letter to committee chair James Comer.
Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 for helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Maxwell’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday.
“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 wrote in the letter.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor, and was released in 2009. He was then charged with sex trafficking of minors in 2019, but died in prison in what was ruled a suicide, before he was sent for trial.
Maxwell’s lawyers have pushed for US Congress to grant her legal immunity so she can testify, but lawmakers refused.
In lieu of that, lawmakers have said that she would invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
World
US Supreme Court rejects appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell
The hearing will take place behind closed doors, but Khanna’s letter sets out the list of questions that he intends to ask Maxwell, even if she will not answer them.
One of the questions asks: “It is well documented that you, President Donald Trump, and Mr. Epstein had a social relationship, and there are several photographs of you together. Did you or Mr. Epstein ever arrange, facilitate, or provide access to underage girls to President Trump?”
One question asks about the “possible pardon” that Trump said publicly he would “look at”, while another asks her to “identify any foreign governments or intelligence services, including those associated with Russia and Israel, that Mr. Epstein shared information with or otherwise acted on behalf of”.
The deposition comes as the US Department of Justice has released of millions of internal documents related to Epstein.