Ghislaine Maxwell will not answer Congress questions on Epstein

Ghislaine Maxwell will refuse to answer questions when she appears before the US congress this week, choosing instead to invoke her constitutional right to remain silent, according to her lawyer.

The convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein is due to give evidence virtually on Monday from the Texas prison where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.

Speaking to the BBC, her lawyer, David Oscar Markus confirmed she will ‘take the Fifth’, referring to the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Instead of responding to questions, Maxwell plans to read a prepared statement at the start of the closed-door deposition, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for helping Epstein recruit and groom underage girls for sexual abuse. Epstein died in prison in 2019 before the trial.

The committee wants to question her about the wider network around Epstein.

In a letter to committee chairman James Comer, Khanna said he intends to ask Maxwell about a court filing in which she mentoned 'four named co-conspirators' and 25 other people who were not charged during the investigation.

He also wants to ask about her and Epstein’s social ties to Donald Trump, and whether the US president ever discussed the possibility of a pardon with her legal team.

Khanna criticised her decision to stay silent, saying it appeared inconsistent with her previous cooperation with federal officials on similar matters.

The deposition was originally scheduled for last year but was delayed at the request of Maxwell’s lawyers while a Supreme Court ruling related to her case was pending.