Maxwell demands immunity after subpoena from House Oversight Committee

Yahoo

16 hours ago

An attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell said she would only speak with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee if granted immunity — an idea the panel swiftly rejected.
The panel last week subpoenaed Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, compelling her testimony amid demands on the Trump administration to release files from the financier who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, noted that she has filed an appeal before the Supreme Court and her testimony to the committee could jeopardize efforts to overturn her 2021 conviction for sex trafficking children.
'As you know, Ms. Maxwell is actively pursuing post-conviction relief — both in a pending petition before the United States Supreme Court and in a forthcoming habeas petition. Any testimony she provides now could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool,' Markus wrote.
'Public reports—including your own statements—indicate that the Committee intends to question Ms. Maxwell in prison and without a grant of immunity. Those are non-starters. Ms. Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity.'
A spokesperson for the committee immediately ruled out any grant of immunity.
'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' committee spokesperson Jessica Collins said in a statement.
Markus had said Maxwell would testify 'if a fair and safe path forward can be established.'
Beyond a grant of immunity, Markus also asked for questions to be shared in advance and for any deposition to take place after the Supreme Court weighs Maxwell's petition.
'To prepare adequately for any congressional deposition—and to ensure accuracy and fairness—we would require the Committee's questions in advance. This is essential not only to allow for meaningful preparation, but also to identify the relevant documentation from millions of pages that could corroborate her responses,' he wrote.
The letter then made an indirect reference to a possible pardon, something Markus has said he has not yet sought from President Trump.
'Of course, in the alternative, if Ms. Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing—and eager—to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C.,' Markus wrote.
Markus said without any of those arrangements, Maxwell would plead the fifth.
House Oversight Democrats did not respond to comment Tuesday but had backed the move from Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) earlier this month to subpoena Maxwell.
'Oversight Democrats just unanimously voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's partner,' House Oversight Democrats wrote on the social platform X after the vote.
'This is progress. We will not stop fighting until the Epstein Files are released. Trump and Bondi must stop blocking the American people from the truth,' they wrote, referencing Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Burchett said he understands the committee not caving to demands for immunity.
'Her attorneys are doing what her attorney's supposed to do, getting her the best deal,' Burchett told The Hill.
'They're trying to cut some time off her 20 years. But she is the gatekeeper, and she realizes it.'
He said he does not have concerns about her credibility, adding that there should be 'plenty of documentation to back up what she says.'
'A bunch of politicians calling somebody a liar is kind of rich. I mean, that's just the pot calling the kettle black, you know?… I mean, we're not a bunch of pedophiles, but we can't stand in judgment of anybody on the truth train,' he said.
Shortly after Burchett's motion, the same panel also voted to subpoena the Justice Department for the Epstein files, as well as several other figures from Democratic administrations: President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller.
Epstein ran with high-powered figures, including those in politics as well as Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that Bondi has told Trump that he is referenced in the Epstein files.
Republicans have mixed feelings about the value Maxwell's testimony would provide.
Some view the convicted sex trafficker as the key to unlocking additional information about the Epstein saga — such as revealing other high-powered abusers of young women who have not yet faced legal consequences for their crimes, or other arrangements Epstein had that enabled the abuse.
But others warn that Maxwell, who was complicit in the abuse and previously faced perjury charges (on which she was not convicted), is not a reliable witness and deserves no special treatment.
The Justice Department reignited the Epstein furor when it released a memo concluding the financier died by suicide and did not keep a client list.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week flew to Tallahassee, Fla., where Maxwell is serving her 20-year sentence, undertaking two days of questioning with her.
'This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead,' he said ahead of the meetings.
Updated at 3:55 p.m.
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