Latest news with #FifthAmendment
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ghislaine Maxwell demands immunity before testifying to Congress
Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and associate of Jeffrey Epstein, says that she is willing to testify before Congress but only if certain conditions are met, including being granted immunity, according to a new letter sent to the House oversight committee by her lawyer on Tuesday. Last week, the House committee on oversight and government subpoenaed Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, to testify via deposition next month at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, where she is currently in custody. But in a new letter on Tuesday addressed to James Comer, a Republican who chairs the House committee, Maxwell's lawyer, David Markus, said that Maxwell was willing to testify but that testifying 'from prison and without a grant of immunity' were 'non-starters'. Markus wrote that their initial reaction to the subpoena was that 'Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment rights and decline to testify at this time.' '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,' Markus wrote. 'Any testimony she provides now could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool.' But, in the following paragraph, he states: 'However, after further reflection, we would like to find a way to cooperate with Congress if a fair and safe path forward can be established,' adding: 'Several conditions would need to be addressed for that to be possible.' The conditions in the letter include a grant of 'formal immunity', that the interview not take place at the correctional facility, that the committee's questions be given to her in advance, and that the deposition not be scheduled until after the 'resolution of her Supreme Court petition and her forthcoming habeas petition'. 'Ms Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity,' the letter states. In the letter, Maxwell's lawyer said that if the demands were not met, Maxwell 'will have no choice but to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights'. In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the oversight committee said that the committee 'will respond to Ms Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony'. At the end of the letter from Maxwell's lawyer on Tuesday, her lawyer also made a plea 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,' the letter states. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning.' Last week, officials from the Department of Justice met with Maxwell over two days, amid growing pressure on the Trump administration to disclose more details about the Epstein case. This comes as earlier this month, the justice department drew bipartisan backlash, including from some Trump supporters, after announcing that it would not be releasing further documents from the Epstein case, despite earlier promises by Trump and the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, to do so.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Trump reveals Epstein fallout over Mar-a-Lago spa staff poaching
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump disclosed that his falling out with Jeffrey Epstein stemmed from the financier poaching staff from the Mar-a-Lago spa, including Virginia Giuffre, who later accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault. Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said Epstein repeatedly hired away spa employees despite warnings. 'People were taken out of the spa, hired by him, in other words gone,' Trump said. 'When I heard about it, I told him, 'We don't want you taking our people.'' He confirmed Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, was among those recruited by Epstein. 'I think she worked at the spa. He stole her,' Trump added. The White House previously stated Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago decades ago 'for being a creep.' Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned associate, has offered to testify before Congress if granted clemency or immunity. Her lawyers stated she would testify 'openly and honestly' under protection but would otherwise invoke the Fifth Amendment. The Justice Department recently interviewed Maxwell, though details remain undisclosed. The Supreme Court's pending decision on her appeal could further delay any testimony. - AFP
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maxwell offers to testify before Congress but with major conditions, including immunity
Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has offered to testify before Congress, but with major conditions, including immunity, according to a list of her demands sent to the House Oversight Committee by her attorneys. 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.' Her attorneys noted Maxwell is currently appealing her conviction to the Supreme Court and argued that 'any testimony she provides now could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool.' 'Compounding these concerns are public comments from members of Congress that appear to have prejudged Ms. Maxwell's credibility without even listening to what she has to say or evaluating the extensive documentation that corroborates it,' the letter states. An Oversight Committee spokeswoman on Tuesday rejected the idea of giving Maxwell immunity. 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' the spokeswoman said. 'I don't think there are many Republicans that want to give immunity to someone that may have been sex trafficking children,' Comer told CNN last week. Maxwell's conditions as laid out by her attorneys include: A grant of formal immunity. The interview can't happen at the correctional facility where she's serving her sentence. '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.' It's likely the Supreme Court will not act on Maxwell's petition until October, when the justices are scheduled to return from a summer break. Her attorneys said if the demands cannot be met, 'Maxwell will have no choice but to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights.' Notably, the letter ended with 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, D.C. 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. CNN's Annie Grayer and Manu Raju contributed to this story. This is a developing story and will be updated.
National Post
11 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
Ghislaine Maxwell is open to talking to Congress about Epstein if given immunity: lawyers
Article content WASHINGTON — Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, is open to answering questions from Congress — but only if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony, her lawyers said Tuesday. Article content A spokeswoman for the committee that wants to interview her responded with a terse statement saying it would not consider offering her immunity. Article content Article content Article content Maxwell's lawyers also asked that they be provided with any questions in advance and that any interview with her be scheduled after her petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to take up her case has been resolved. Article content Article content The conditions were laid out in a letter sent by Maxwell's attorneys to Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee who last week issued a subpoena for her deposition at the Florida prison where she is serving a 20-year-prison sentence on a conviction of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. Article content The request to interview her is part of a frenzied, renewed interest in the Epstein saga following the Justice Department's July statement that it would not be releasing any additional records from the investigation, an abrupt announcement that stunned online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of President Donald Trump's base who had been hoping to find proof of a government coverup. Article content Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigation and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewing Maxwell over the course of two days at a Florida courthouse last week. Article content Article content In a letter Tuesday, Maxwell's attorneys said that though their initial instinct was for Maxwell to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are open to having her cooperate provided that lawmakers satisfy their request for immunity and other conditions. Article content Article content But the Oversight Committee seemed to reject that offer outright. Article content 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' a spokesperson said. Article content Separately, Maxwell's attorneys have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she dd not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify 'openly and honestly, in public,' is in the event of a pardon by Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it. Article content 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,' he said.
Vancouver Sun
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Ghislaine Maxwell is open to talking to Congress about Epstein if given immunity: lawyers
WASHINGTON — Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, is open to answering questions from Congress — but only if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony, her lawyers said Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the committee that wants to interview her responded with a terse statement saying it would not consider offering her immunity. Maxwell's lawyers also asked that they be provided with any questions in advance and that any interview with her be scheduled after her petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to take up her case has been resolved. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The conditions were laid out in a letter sent by Maxwell's attorneys to Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee who last week issued a subpoena for her deposition at the Florida prison where she is serving a 20-year-prison sentence on a conviction of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. The request to interview her is part of a frenzied, renewed interest in the Epstein saga following the Justice Department's July statement that it would not be releasing any additional records from the investigation, an abrupt announcement that stunned online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of President Donald Trump's base who had been hoping to find proof of a government coverup. Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigation and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewing Maxwell over the course of two days at a Florida courthouse last week. In a letter Tuesday, Maxwell's attorneys said that though their initial instinct was for Maxwell to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are open to having her cooperate provided that lawmakers satisfy their request for immunity and other conditions. But the Oversight Committee seemed to reject that offer outright. 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' a spokesperson said. Separately, Maxwell's attorneys have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she dd not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify 'openly and honestly, in public,' is in the event of a pardon by Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,' he said. Also on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said that Jeffrey Epstein 'stole' young women who worked for the spa at Mar-a-Lago, the latest evolution in his description of how their highly scrutinized relationship ended years ago. One of the women, he acknowledged, was Virginia Giuffre, who was among Epstein's most well-known sex trafficking accusers. Trump's comments expanded on remarks he had made a day earlier, when he said he had banned Epstein from his private club in Florida two decades ago because his one-time friend 'stole people that worked for me.' At the time, he did not make clear who those workers were. The Republican president has faced an outcry over his administration's refusal to release more records about Epstein after promises of transparency, a rare example of strain within Trump's tightly controlled political coalition. Trump has attempted to tamp down questions about the case, expressing annoyance that people are still talking about it six years after Epstein committed suicide while awaiting trial, even though some of his own allies have promoted conspiracy theories about it. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
