Ghislaine Maxwell plans to decline answering questions during a scheduled deposition before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, choosing instead to invoke her constitutional right against self-incrimination, according to a lawmaker involved in the inquiry.
Representative Ro Khanna said in a letter to committee chair James Comer that Maxwell intends to assert her Fifth Amendment protections and will not respond to substantive questioning from members of Congress. Rather than participating in a traditional back-and-forth examination, she is expected to read a prepared statement at the start of the session.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence following her 2021 conviction for helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein recruit and groom teenage girls for sexual abuse. Prosecutors described her as a central figure in Epstein’s network, assisting in arranging travel, managing logistics, and building trust with victims. Her conviction marked one of the highest-profile outcomes tied to the long-running Epstein investigations.
Her attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the planned deposition strategy.
Khanna said Maxwell’s refusal to answer questions appears inconsistent with previous meetings she reportedly had with Justice Department officials, where she did not assert the same protections. He asked committee leadership to clarify how the deposition would proceed and whether her limited cooperation would affect the committee’s inquiry.
The House Oversight Committee is seeking additional testimony as part of broader congressional scrutiny surrounding Epstein’s associates, financial dealings, and potential institutional failures that may have allowed abuse to continue for years. Lawmakers have signaled interest in understanding who else may have had knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s activities and whether safeguards were ignored.
The deposition also coincides with the Justice Department’s recent release of large volumes of internal records and investigative materials connected to Epstein. The disclosures have renewed public attention on the case, which has continued to generate legal and political fallout years after Epstein’s death in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Legal analysts note that invoking the Fifth Amendment during a congressional deposition is not unusual for individuals with ongoing legal exposure. The right protects witnesses from being compelled to provide testimony that could later be used against them in criminal proceedings. Still, such a move can limit the amount of new information investigators obtain.
Maxwell has remained incarcerated since her sentencing and has pursued appeals challenging her conviction and the fairness of her trial. Those efforts are still moving through the courts.
It remains unclear whether the committee will attempt to compel further testimony or accept her limited participation. For now, her planned silence may slow lawmakers’ efforts to gather fresh details about one of the most scrutinized criminal cases in recent memory.
