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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, will testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on February 9, committee chairman James Comer said on Wednesday.
Comer, a Kentucky Republican, announced the scheduled deposition during the committee's markup of resolutions to hold former president Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, in contempt for refusing to comply with subpoenas to sit for scheduled depositions last week.
"I agree we need to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell," Comer said during the hearing as Democrats pushed him on why the committee is not pursuing contempt charges against Maxwell or Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. She is currently serving the sentence at a prison camp in Texas after being quietly moved from a federal prison in Florida last year.
An attorney for Maxwell has been contacted by Newsweek for further comment via an email sent outside regular business hours.
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Why It Matters
The Republican-controlled House panel is investigating how Epstein was able to sexually abuse dozens of teenage girls for years, while the Trump administration continues to face scrutiny over its handling of the Epstein case and delays by the Department of Justice in releasing its files related to investigations into Epstein and Maxwell.
On Wednesday, a federal judge overseeing Maxwell’s criminal case rejected a request from two lawmakers for a special master to speed up the public disclosure of the files, though the judge said they can file a lawsuit seeking a court-appointed monitor.
Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie had appended their request to Maxwell’s criminal case. The lawmakers co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in November and required the files be released by December 19.
Trump administration officials have said the delay is due to the large volume of files and need to maintain the anonymity of Epstein’s victims.
Epstein died in a federal jail in New York in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. The case has long drawn scrutiny due to Epstein’s connections to some of the world’s most powerful people.
What To Know
Comer issued a subpoena for Maxwell’s testimony in July. The deposition is expected to be held virtually, according to Politico.
Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus wrote in a letter to Comer on Tuesday that Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment right.
"If the Committee proceeds now, Ms. Maxwell will invoke her privilege against self-incrimination and decline to answer questions," Markus wrote. Markus also requested the deposition be postponed until after Maxwell’s legal proceedings are resolved.
"Testimony under oath while a habeas petition is pending would risk irreparable prejudice to her constitutional claims and expose her to further criminal jeopardy," he wrote.
He added that if Maxwell were to receive clemency, she "would be willing—and eager—to testify openly and honestly, in pubic, before Congress in Washington, D.C."
Maxwell appealed her conviction to the Supreme Court, but the high court declined to take up the case in October.
Her lawyers asked a federal judge in December to vacate or amend her sentence, arguing that "substantial new evidence" showed she did not receive a fair trial.
Maxwell could also be freed if Trump grants her a presidential pardon, which he has repeatedly not ruled out.
What People Are Saying
Representative James Comer said during the hearing: "I agree we need to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell. We've been trying to get her in for a deposition. Her lawyers have been saying that she's going to plead the fifth, but we have nailed down a date, February 9, where Ghislaine Maxwell will be deposed by this committee. Now, her lawyers have made it clear that she's going to plead the fifth. I hope she changes her mind, because I want to hear from her."
Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement: "For months, Ghislaine Maxwell has defied the subpoena ordering her to testify to the Oversight Committee. After pressure from Oversight Democrats, Chairman Comer has finally decided to call her in to testify. But let’s be clear: the coverup is continuing. She has gotten special treatment from the DOJ for months. Let’s end the coverup now."
Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus wrote in a letter to Comer: "Put plainly, proceeding under these circumstances would serve no other purpose than pure political theater and a complete waste of taxpayer monies. The Committee would obtain no testimony, no answers, and no new facts. The only certainty is a public spectacle in which a witness repeatedly invokes the Fifth Amendment."
What Happens Next
Maxwell’s deposition is scheduled for February 9. Her lawyer has said she will invoke her Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer questions.
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