A House committee has responded to Jeffrey Epstein muse Ghislaine Maxwell’s request for immunity in exchange for her testimony regarding the late financier and convicted pedophile.
The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday rejected a request from Maxwell’s legal team seeking immunity in exchange for her testimony before Congress.
In a letter, Maxwell’s attorneys stated that she would be willing to testify about her association with Epstein, provided she was granted formal immunity and certain additional conditions were met.
If Maxwell “were to receive clemency, she would be willing — and eager — to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C.,” her lawyers wrote. If not, they said, Maxwell would just assert her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination and refuse to answer any questions.
A spokesperson for Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told NBC News the committee would respond to the letter “soon” but “will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony.”
The committee issued a subpoena to Maxwell last week, ordering her to provide a deposition from prison on August 11. In their letter to Comer, Maxwell’s attorneys outlined several conditions and requests related to her potential testimony.
“First, public reports—including your own statements—indicate that the Committee intends to question Ms. Maxwell in prison and without a grant of immunity,” lawyers David Oscar Markus, Leah Saffian and Melissa Madrigal wrote, per NBC. “Those are non-starters.”
Maxwell’s lawyers argued that she “cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity.” They also said Maxwell testifying from prison raises the possibility there will be leaks about her testimony and “creates real security risks and undermines the integrity of the process.”
Maxwell’s legal team also requested that the committee provide its questions in advance and delay scheduling her appearance until after the Supreme Court decides whether it will hear her appeal to overturn her conviction, said the outlet.
“To prepare adequately for any congressional deposition—and to ensure accuracy and fairness—we would require the Committee’s questions in advance,” the letter reads. “Surprise questioning would be both inappropriate and unproductive.”
“Any testimony she provides now could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool,” the letter added.
The high court is not expected to rule on Maxwell’s request until October.
“Please let us know whether the Committee is amenable to these conditions,” the letter said. “If not, Ms. Maxwell will have no choice but to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights.”
Her legal team also accused some lawmakers of prejudging Maxwell without hearing her testimony or reviewing evidence she claims is credible.
“Compounding these concerns are public comments from members of Congress that appear to have prejudged Ms. Maxwell’s credibility without even listening to what she has to say or evaluating the extensive documentation that corroborates it,” the attorneys wrote.
Democrats are also rejecting her terms.
“She is not going to set whatever terms that she wants,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee.
“We do not support giving her the questions ahead of time,” he said.
Comer was blunt in a previous interview with CNN. “I don’t think there are many Republicans that want to give immunity to someone that may have been sex trafficking children,” he said.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after she was convicted in 2021 on federal sex trafficking charges, NBC News noted.
Maxwell had private meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week, spanning approximately nine hours over the course of two days. In a statement released earlier in the week, Blanche said that “President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence.