Maxwell REFUSES Testimony—Demands Trump Clemency Deal

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex-trafficking accomplice serving 20 years for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, refused to answer a single question during her congressional deposition, invoking the Fifth Amendment while her attorney simultaneously lobbied President Trump for clemency in exchange for her cooperation.

Story Snapshot

Maxwell invoked Fifth Amendment protection throughout closed House Oversight Committee deposition on February 9, 2026, providing zero testimony about Epstein’s network
Her attorney publicly offered cooperation revealing elite co-conspirators in exchange for presidential clemency, claiming Maxwell alone can confirm Trump and Clinton’s innocence
The stonewalling contrasts sharply with her July 2025 DOJ interview where she answered questions and denied wrongdoing by high-profile figures
Committee Chair James Comer expressed disappointment while scheduling five additional depositions including Les Wexner, the Clintons, and Epstein’s inner circle
Democrats accused Maxwell of protecting co-conspirators and questioned her mysterious prison transfer to a minimum-security facility shortly after her DOJ interview

The Monday Morning Silence That Spoke Volumes

Maxwell appeared virtually from her Texas prison camp on Monday, February 9, 2026, fulfilling a subpoena issued seven months earlier by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The GOP-led panel sought answers about Epstein’s decade-long sex-trafficking operation that exploited underage girls and implicated wealthy elites across politics and business. Instead, they encountered a wall of constitutional protection. Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, had telegraphed this strategy, but lawmakers still expressed frustration. Committee Chair James Comer called the session “very disappointing,” emphasizing his desire to deliver “truth for survivors” of Epstein’s crimes. The deposition coincided with select members of Congress viewing previously withheld unredacted Epstein files at the Department of Justice.

A Tale of Two Testimonies

The contrast between Maxwell’s congressional silence and her previous cooperation illuminates the complexity of her legal maneuvering. In July 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducted a two-day interview with Maxwell at FCI Tallahassee, where she answered questions about Epstein and his associates, reportedly denying any criminal involvement by both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. Shortly after that DOJ interview, Maxwell was transferred without explanation from the low-security Florida facility to a minimum-security camp in Bryan, Texas. Ranking Democrat Robert Garcia seized on this timing, questioning whether Maxwell received “special treatment” and asking pointedly, “Who is she protecting?” The mystery deepened as Maxwell’s legal team positioned her unique knowledge as leverage for presidential clemency.

The Clemency Gambit and Political Firestorm

Maxwell’s refusal to testify cannot be separated from her attorney’s public clemency campaign. Markus reiterated his client’s offer: cooperation and revelation of co-conspirators in exchange for Trump reducing or committing her 20-year sentence. He framed Maxwell as the sole source who could definitively confirm the innocence of Trump and Clinton, stating “truth matters” while acknowledging ongoing legal proceedings as justification for her Fifth Amendment stance. Representative Andy Biggs pointed to the lawyer’s Trump and Clinton exoneration claims as significant, while Democrat Suhas Subramanyam dismissed the entire maneuver as an “unrepentant” pardon strategy. The partisan divide sharpened, with Democrats alleging a protection racket and Republicans emphasizing the investigation’s continuation despite Maxwell’s stonewalling. Trump has not ruled out clemency, leaving the door open for a political bombshell.

What Comes Next in the Epstein Probe

The House Oversight Committee is far from finished with its investigation into Epstein’s network of enablers and associates. Comer announced five additional depositions scheduled in the coming weeks, targeting Les Wexner, the billionaire retail magnate and Epstein benefactor, along with Richard Kahn and Darren Indyke, Epstein’s accountant and attorney respectively. Bill and Hillary Clinton, who initially rejected their subpoenas as invalid before acquiescing under contempt threats, are scheduled for depositions later in February. The committee has also subpoenaed the DOJ for documents, Epstein’s estate, and former attorneys general and FBI directors. Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025, signed by Trump, mandating the release of investigation materials. Lawmakers including Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie exercised their new access rights, viewing unredacted files at DOJ headquarters on the same day Maxwell refused to speak.

The Survivors Still Waiting for Justice

Lost in the political theater surrounding Maxwell’s deposition are the victims of Epstein’s trafficking operation, women who were recruited and abused as underage girls over the course of a decade. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 as Epstein’s key accomplice, grooming and exploiting vulnerable minors for the financier’s predatory network. Epstein himself died by suicide in 2019 at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center while awaiting trial. Maxwell’s Supreme Court appeal failed in late 2025, though she continues pursuing relief through a petition to a New York federal court seeking to overturn or reduce her sentence. Comer framed his disappointment with Maxwell’s silence specifically around what victims deserve, emphasizing the committee wants truth for survivors. Whether that truth emerges from other witnesses or hidden documents remains uncertain, but Maxwell’s calculated silence demonstrates her willingness to let victims wait while she negotiates her freedom.

The Oversight investigation proceeds against a backdrop of intense public scrutiny regarding elite impunity and the extent of Epstein’s connections to powerful figures in finance, politics, and beyond. Maxwell’s Fifth Amendment invocation is legally sound given her ongoing appeals and potential criminal exposure for undisclosed activities. Yet her selective cooperation with DOJ versus stonewalling Congress raises questions about what deals may exist behind closed doors. The next round of depositions will test whether Epstein’s inner circle follows Maxwell’s playbook of silence or whether the committee can extract the answers victims and the public have awaited for years. As pressure mounts on Trump regarding clemency and Democrats cry cover-up, the Epstein probe has become another flashpoint in America’s polarized political landscape, with truth and accountability hanging in the balance.