Lawmakers said that Ghislaine Maxwell, who helped Jeffrey Epstein, declined to answer questions from a US congressional committee on Monday, saying she had the right not to incriminate herself. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year jail sentence for sex trafficking, was ordered to appear before the House Oversight Committee about her relationship with the disgraced financier.
James Comer, the Republican committee chairman, said that Maxwell had used her Fifth Amendment privilege not to incriminate herself. Comer told reporters, “As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and wouldn’t answer any questions. This is clearly very disappointing.
“We had a lot of questions about the crimes she and Epstein committed and about possible co-conspirators,” he said. Comer added that Maxwell’s lawyers told the House panel that she would only testify if President Donald Trump gave her clemency beforehand. The lawyers had asked Congress to grant her legal protection so she could testify, but the lawmakers refused.
Maxwell is the only one who has been found guilty of a crime in connection with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while waiting for his trial for sex trafficking. In 2021, 64-year-old Maxwell was found guilty of giving underage females to a rich businessman who knew a lot of powerful people, including legislators, business leaders, celebrities, and academics.
Also Read:
Saudi–Pakistan Meeting Highlights Joint Action Plan Against Drug Smuggling
