House Oversight Pauses Plans to Question Ghislaine Maxwell After Lawyers Say She Will Invoke the Fifth

The House Oversight Committee has shelved immediate plans to depose Ghislaine Maxwell after her legal team informed lawmakers she intends to invoke her Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer questions. Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said he is reconsidering sending staff and members to the federal prison camp in Texas because Maxwell "is only going to plead the Fifth," making an in-person trip a poor use of taxpayer resources.

Comer confirmed the committee will not accept the conditions Maxwell reportedly proposed — including immunity, advance notice of questions and waiting until appeals are resolved — and said he is unlikely to proceed if she refuses to testify. A committee spokesperson reiterated the chairman's remarks.

"Her lawyers have replied that she’s not going to answer any questions. She’s only going to plead the Fifth. I mean, I could spend a bunch of taxpayer dollars to send staff and members down there, and if she’s going to plead the Fifth, I don’t know that that’s a good investment," Comer said.

Maxwell was interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche over two days in July; the Justice Department later released a full transcript of that interview. The Oversight Committee issued a subpoena to Maxwell in July seeking testimony as part of congressional scrutiny over how authorities handled files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Push to unseal Epstein files

Congress recently passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, directing the Justice Department to release Epstein-related records. Following that law's passage, the Justice Department filed a motion asking a Florida court to unseal grand jury transcripts and lift protective orders while redacting victim-identifying information where required. The filing, submitted by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Blanche, requested an expedited ruling under the new statutory timeline.

"In light of the Act’s clear mandate, the Court should authorize the Department of Justice to release the grand jury transcripts and lift any preexisting protective orders that would otherwise prevent public disclosure," the motion says, while noting the need to protect victim-related and identifying information where appropriate.

Status of Maxwell's sentence and treatment

Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking charges for recruiting and grooming teenage girls for abuse by Epstein. After the interview with Blanche, she was transferred to a less restrictive, women-only facility. She has reportedly told friends and family by email that she is "much happier" at the new location.

Lawmakers have also received whistleblower allegations suggesting Maxwell may have received favorable treatment at the facility and that she is seeking commutation of the remainder of her sentence. The White House declined to comment on potential clemency requests, noting the president has said he has not considered pardoning Maxwell.

Separately, Comer said his panel is still pursuing depositions of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to determine what they may know about Epstein and his network, emphasizing that the committee is not alleging wrongdoing by the Clintons but seeking additional information.