Ghislaine Maxwell plans to refuse substantive responses at a deposition before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, according to a letter sent to the committee chair.
Representative Ro Khanna, who serves on the committee, informed Representative James Comer in a Sunday letter that Maxwell will invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and decline to answer substantive questions at the Monday deposition. Khanna said Maxwell will instead open the session by reading a prepared statement, and will not respond to individual lines of questioning.
Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for her role in assisting Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual abuse of teenage girls, is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday, according to Khanna's letter.
In his correspondence seeking clarification on Maxwell's planned testimony, Khanna raised a point of inconsistency. He observed that Maxwell did not assert the Fifth Amendment during a prior meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in which she addressed substantially similar topics. Khanna identified himself as a California Democrat and requested further explanation, while noting he did not provide details about the source of his information in the letter.
The timing of Maxwell's deposition coincides with the Justice Department's release of millions of internal documents related to Epstein. The release of those records frames the congressional session and may inform the scope of questions the committee planned to pursue.
The committee chair, Representative James Comer, received Khanna's letter asking for clarity on Maxwell's intended approach to testimony. Khanna's description of Maxwell's plan - to read a prepared statement and to invoke the Fifth Amendment in response to substantive questions - was presented without attribution to a named source beyond his membership on the committee.
Summary
Ghislaine Maxwell will invoke the Fifth Amendment and decline to answer substantive questions at a House Oversight Committee deposition, according to a letter from Representative Ro Khanna to Chair James Comer. Maxwell will begin by reading a prepared statement. Khanna noted this posture seems inconsistent with an earlier meeting in which she did not assert the privilege. The deposition occurs as the Justice Department has released a large volume of internal Epstein-related documents.
Key points
- Maxwell intends to plead the Fifth and refuse substantive answers at a Monday deposition before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Representative Ro Khanna says Maxwell will read a prepared statement rather than answering individual questions; he questioned why she did not assert the privilege in a prior meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
- The deposition takes place amid the Justice Department's publication of millions of internal documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Risks and uncertainties
- Uncertainty about the source of Khanna's information - Khanna did not detail where he obtained the description of Maxwell's planned testimony.
- Potential inconsistency in Maxwell's invocation of the Fifth Amendment - she reportedly did not assert the privilege during a prior meeting on similar matters, raising questions committee members have asked to be clarified.
- Scope and impact of the Justice Department document release - while the documents are noted as extensive, how they intersect with the deposition and what information they contain remains to be clarified.
Context for markets and sectors
- Government oversight and congressional investigations are directly involved through the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Legal services and firms engaged in related litigation or counsel work may be professionally affected as testimony and document releases evolve.
- Public policy observers and entities tracking political risk may monitor developments as committee proceedings and the DOJ document release progress.