Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime companion of Jeffrey Epstein who is serving a federal prison sentence on sex-trafficking charges, refused on Monday to answer questions during a deposition before the House Oversight Committee.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee’s chair, said that Maxwell, who appeared virtually from a prison in Texas, invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to every question asked.

“It was very disappointing,” Comer said. “We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators.”

He also said that Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, told lawmakers in his opening statement that Maxwell “would answer questions if she were granted clemency” by President Donald Trump.

Democrats in the deposition condemned that stance.

“She is campaigning over and over again to get that pardon from President Trump, and this president has not ruled it out,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia. “And so that is why she is continuing to not cooperate with our investigation.”

‘Ms. Maxwell Is Prepared to Speak Fully and Honestly if…’

In a copy of his statement posted on social media, Markus said that “Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”

He also said that Maxwell could clear both Trump and former President Bill Clinton, both of whom have documented ties to Epstein, from any accusations of wrongdoing. Democrats dismissed that assertion as part of Maxwell’s effort to get clemency.

Lawmakers had sought to depose Maxwell for months as part of the panel’s inquiry into the federal government’s investigations of Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison while facing accusations of sex trafficking of girls as young as 14, and Maxwell.

Comer first requested to depose Maxwell in July, as a political firestorm was erupting over the Trump administration’s backtracking on a promise to release all of the Justice Department’s investigative material on Epstein.

As the backlash grew, House Democrats teamed with a handful of Republicans to force the Oversight Committee to subpoena the department and the Epstein estate for troves of records. The panel also requested depositions for current and former government officials and Maxwell.

In the months since that initial request, Maxwell has come under increasing scrutiny, particularly after she was moved to a minimum-security prison following an interview by Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general. Democrats have demanded to visit her there, citing whistleblower accusations that she is receiving preferential treatment.

Monday’s deposition took place as the Justice Department also began to make the unredacted versions of its investigative material into Epstein available to members of Congress. The department finished the release of the files last month.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of the authors of the law that required the release of the material, said he planned to begin looking at the unredacted versions Monday. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, also plans to view the files Monday, according to the committee’s staff.

Over the weekend, lawmakers began calling for the commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, to resign or be fired after documents released by the Justice Department showed that he planned a visit to Epstein’s private island in 2012.

Lutnick had claimed in a podcast interview last year that he stopped associating with Epstein in 2005. He told The New York Times on Friday that he “spent zero time” with Epstein but declined to comment about the island visit.

Schiff Calls Lutnick to Resign

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Monday called on Lutnick to resign, accusing him of lying about his ties to Epstein. Massie, a frequent critic of the Trump administration, also said that Lutnick should step down.

Asked whether the Oversight Committee would ask Lutnick to testify, Comer did not rule out issuing a subpoena.

“We’re interested in talking to anyone that might have any information that would help us get justice for the survivorship,” he told reporters.

Even after the release of the files, the panel has continued its investigation, which also included a review of thousands of pages obtained from Epstein’s estate. The committee is scheduled to hear testimony from the executors of the estate this month.

The committee will also depose Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton. After a bitter back-and-forth with Comer, the Clintons agreed to be deposed on camera this month, though they have continued to request that they be allowed to do so at public hearings.

A review by The New York Times of documents released by the Justice Department found very little related to Hillary Clinton and limited new information about Bill Clinton’s interactions with Epstein.

But the documents revealed that Maxwell played a substantial role in supporting the creation of the Clinton Global Initiative, one of Bill Clinton’s signature post-White House efforts.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Michael Gold/US Dept. of Justice.
c. 2026 The New York Times Company