WASHINGTON (BN24) — A Republican-led congressional committee has formally rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s request for immunity in exchange for her testimony about the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, deepening a politically charged clash over long-standing questions surrounding Epstein’s network and its alleged ties to powerful figures, including President Donald Trump.
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in a Florida prison for her 2021 conviction in New York for aiding Epstein in the sexual abuse of underage girls, had been subpoenaed by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to testify in a closed-door deposition scheduled for Aug. 11 in Tallahassee.
Her legal team requested that she be granted formal immunity from further prosecution before testifying. In a letter to Rep. James Comer, the panel’s chairman, attorney David Markus said Maxwell “cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity.”
But a spokesperson for the committee said Tuesday the panel would not entertain the request. “The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell’s attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,” the statement read.
Maxwell’s lawyers also sought several additional conditions, including advance access to the committee’s questions and a request that the deposition take place somewhere other than prison. They added that she would be willing to speak publicly if granted clemency.
Maxwell is appealing her conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Trump has said he is not considering granting her a presidential pardon.
The latest congressional activity comes as scrutiny intensifies over Trump’s past association with Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in New York on federal sex trafficking charges. Though Trump socialized with Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s, he has maintained that he cut off ties long before Epstein’s arrest and death.
Calls for greater transparency have grown louder in recent weeks after the Justice Department said it would not release additional documents from its investigation. This decision has fueled renewed demands from both Democratic lawmakers and Trump supporters, who have pressed for the release of unsealed records.
Senate Democrats have also ramped up their inquiries. Sens. Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse on Tuesday sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting a transcript of a recent discussion between a department official and Maxwell. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged the FBI to assess the national security risks posed by the Epstein files falling into the hands of foreign adversaries.
“Could our adversaries use that information to blackmail someone like the president or other senior leaders in government?” Schumer asked.
Despite the political firestorm, the House Oversight Committee appears determined to press forward with its efforts to hear from Maxwell without offering the legal protections she seeks.
Reuters
