Can Ghislaine Maxwell invoke fifth amendment during US congressional deposition? What she said during 2025 DOJ interview?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Can Ghislaine Maxwell invoke fifth amendment during US congressional deposition? What she said during 2025 DOJ interview?")
Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein Photograph: (AFP, DOJ)
Jailed Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell is set to appear before the US House Oversight Committee but plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer questions. Lawmakers say the move contrasts with her earlier DOJ interview as scrutiny over the Epstein files continues.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is scheduled to give a deposition before congressional investigators but her lawyers said that she intends to refuse to answer questions before the House's Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Maxwell, who was found guilty in 2021 for her role in helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, plans to invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and decline to answer all substantive questions, according to United States lawmaker Ro Khanna’s letter to Representative James Comer, the committee chair.
In front of the House's Committee on Oversight, Maxwell reportedly will read a prepared statement at the beginning of her deposition. Khanna has not revealed the source of his information. Maxwell's attorney has not responded to the development yet. Khanna said that her position “appears inconsistent” with her with prior conduct, as she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment when she previously met with US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss substantially similar subject matter.
Also Read: DOJ interviews Ghislaine Maxwell: If she sings, heads will roll but can she? What's in it for her?
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan, a minimum-security facility for women in Texas. Earlier, when the panel selected a date, Maxwell's legal team said in a letter to the committee that proceeding under these circumstances would serve "no other purpose than pure political theater and a complete waste of taxpayer monies." Her lawyers had also said that she "cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity" as speaking from prison “creates real security risks and undermines the integrity of the process.” In July 2025, the committee declined to offer Maxwell legal immunity in exchange for her testimony. In August, the committee issued legal summons to Maxwell.
Epstein Files and Ghislaine Maxwell
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In July-Aug, 2025, FBI Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed Maxwell and the US Department of Justice later released transcript and audio of the interview. In it, Maxwell denied ever seeing Donald Trump behave inappropriately, calling him “cordial” and a “gentleman,” and refuted knowledge of any Epstein “client list” or blackmail scheme. Maxwell also rejected suggestions that she introduced Epstein to the British royals, calling such claims “a flat untruth.” She cast doubt on Epstein’s reported suicide, suggesting it may have been the result of inmate violence within the prison. Additionally, she denied any wrongdoing by other public figures like Bill Clinton, Elon Musk, or Prince Andrew. The DOJ granted her limited immunity for the interview, without offering leniency, and later transferred her to a lower-security prison.
Notably, in November 2025, US President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, mandating the public release of all Department of Justice (DOJ) materials related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigations. The law mandated that the Department of Justice (DOJ) release all relevant files by December 19, 2025. As of late January 2026, the DOJ has released only a small fraction of the approximately 2 million documents it holds.
