Epstein case: Ghislain Maxwell will testify before Congress only if her 4 demands are met
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
House Oversight Chair James Comer subpoenaed Maxwell to testify next month. In a new letter sent to Comer Tuesday, Maxwell's attorneys said they initially decided to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights, but then offered to cooperate with Congress 'if a fair and safe path forward can be established", CNN reported.
Ghislaine Maxwell's conditions are:
A grant of formal immunity.
The interview can't take place at the correctional facility where she's presently lodged.
There should be no surprise questions and she should get enough time for preparation of the answers. 'To prepare adequately for any congressional deposition—and to ensure accuracy and fairness—we would require the Committee's questions in advance….Surprise questioning would be both inappropriate and unproductive.'
The interview would be scheduled 'only after the resolution of her Supreme Court petition and her forthcoming habeas petition.'
If these demands are not met, then Maxwell will have no choice but to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights, her attorneys said.
Appeal to Donald Trump for clemency
Maxwell's letter included a final appeal to President Donald Trump for clemency. '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, DC She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,' her attorneys said.
Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 and was convicted in December 2021 on five of six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, transporting minors for illegal sexual acts and conspiracy to commit such offences. In June 2022, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
14 minutes ago
- Hans India
HC dismisses election petition against Congress MP
Bengaluru: The High Court has dismissed the election petition filed against Davanagere Congress MP Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun, who was accused of electoral malpractice for allegedly distributing 'guarantee cards' to lure voters during the Lok Sabha polls. The petition, filed by BJP's defeated candidate G.S. Gayathri Siddeshwar, sought to nullify Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun's election on grounds of inducement and violation of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. However, Justice M.I. Arun, who presided over the single-judge bench, rejected the petition, holding that the allegations do not amount to a corrupt practice under the law. The court cited a previous ruling related to a similar case against Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and reiterated that the Congress party's 'guarantee schemes' were part of its official election manifesto. The judge observed that election manifestos reflect a party's policy decisions and not the personal promises of individual candidates. Hence, such guarantees cannot be construed as bribes or inducements under Section 123(1)(A)(B) of the Representation of the People Act.
Hindustan Times
14 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
C'garh court reserves its order on nuns' bail pleas
A special court in Bilaspur on Friday has reserved its order on the bail applications of three people including two Catholic nuns from Kerala who were arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. C'garh court reserves its order on nuns' bail pleas The accused, Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Durg railway station on July 25, following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal member. The complainant alleged that the trio had trafficked and forcibly converted three young tribal women from Narayanpur district. The hearing took place on Friday in the court of Principal District and Sessions Judge (NIA Court) Sirajuddin Qureshi. Public Prosecutor Dauram Chandravanshi opposed the bail applications, citing the early stage of the investigation. The court is expected to deliver its order on Saturday. Defence counsel Amrito Das argued that the accused were detained solely on the basis of unverified allegations, and no significant materials were recovered from them. 'The prosecution has not even sought their custodial interrogation. The alleged victims are all adults, already practicing Christianity, and have been sent back home,' he said. He also pointed out that the statements of the women's parents confirmed that they were not being taken away forcibly or fraudulently. The case has taken on political overtones, with a high-profile delegation from the Kerala unit of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) visiting Chhattisgarh on Friday to meet the arrested nuns. The team included MPs Hibi Eden and Kodikunnil Suresh, who alleged that referring the case to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court by the Durg sessions court was a deliberate attempt to delay bail. 'There is a conspiracy behind shifting the case to the NIA court. It's intended to prolong the legal process and keep the nuns behind bars,' said Suresh, speaking to reporters at Raipur airport. He added that protests were already underway in Kerala, condemning the arrests. MP Hibi Eden questioned the legality of the detention: 'If it's not the jurisdiction of local police or the sessions court, and the NIA is taking over, then why are the nuns still in jail after five days?' He described the arrests as 'unlawful and unjust' and blamed the ruling BJP for targeting Christians. Eden also alleged that in some northern states, Christians have to seek approval from right-wing groups to conduct religious services. 'This is unacceptable in a secular country,' he said, adding that the Congress delegation had also approached the Union Home Minister and written to the Prime Minister regarding the case. The arrest has sparked a political row, with both the Congress and the CPI(M) slamming the move. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, however, has accused the opposition of politicising the matter and interfering with a police investigation. Adding another twist to the case, one of the women allegedly being trafficked, 21-year-old Kamleshwari Pradhan, has claimed she was coerced by Bajrang Dal activists into giving a false statement. She also alleged that the police failed to properly record her version of events. According to Pradhan, her family has been practicing Christianity for the last four to five years.
Hindustan Times
14 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
BJP slams Cong govt over revival of HP lottery scheme
A day after the cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh government approved revival of the state-run lotteries to boost revenue, a war of words began between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The state cabinet on Thursday gave its nod to initiate the operation of lotteries in the state that has been banned since 1999. Protesting against the same, the BJP announced a major protest in Mandi on August 6 demanding immediate withdrawal of the lottery system while Congress defended the revival of the state lottery. The state cabinet on Thursday gave its nod to initiate the operation of lotteries in the state that has been banned since 1999. Launching a scathing attack at the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in state, BJP state president Dr Rajeev Bindal said, 'The Sukhu government promised one lakh government jobs in its very first Cabinet meeting. Now, three years later, they have launched a lottery system and are asking the youth to buy tickets to change their fate. This is not governance—it's exploitation.' Slamming the Congress, Bindal said, 'The Cabinet's decision to reintroduce the lottery system is a mockery of the unemployed. Instead of generating employment opportunities, the government is pushing youth towards gambling and false hope.' Calling lottery system 'anti-people', Bindal questioned the government's rationale behind reviving the lottery, which was previously banned in 1999-2000 by the BJP-led government under Prem Kumar Dhumal, restarted by the Congress in 2004, and again banned in 2007. Now, in 2025, the Congress has once again decided to reintroduce it. State looks at generating ₹100-cr revenue Reeling under debt of more than ₹1 lakh crore, the state government is looking for measures to generate revenue and thus the cabinet has approved revival of state lottery. The finance department made a detailed presentation before the cabinet on the issue of starting operation of lotteries in the hill state to generate additional revenue. The decision has been taken on the recommendation of the Resource Mobilisation Committee, headed by deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri. Lottery was banned in the state by the Himachal government headed by BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal in 1999 and made its violation punishable under Lotteries (Regulation) Act. Cong defends decision Defending the state's decision of reviving the state lottery, technical education minister Rajesh Dharmani said, 'The Union government has no control over online and offline betting and people are losing their hard-earned money in this'. He added, 'On the contrary, the lottery being started by the state government will be under a legitimate process, which will generate revenue for the state'.
