Maxwell pleads the Fifth but will clear Trump’s name in exchange for clemency

Washington: Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has refused to answer questions before the US Congress, as her lawyer says she will clear President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing in exchange for clemency from her 20-year prison sentence.

Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right to silence when she appeared before a congressional committee by video-link from jail on Monday (Washington time), amid the ongoing fallout from the release of the so-called Epstein files.

Her attorney David Oscar Markus said Maxwell would like to answer questions but must remain silent as she has a petition before the legal system challenging the fairness of her trial and conviction.

He then made an extraordinary pitch directly to Trump that Maxwell would offer the country the “unfiltered truth” – including clearing the names of Trump and former president Bill Clinton – in exchange for clemency.

“If this committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path,” Markus told the closed-door congressional hearing, and later posted to social media.

“Ms Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump. Only she can provide the complete account.

“Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Ms Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation.”

Under the Trump administration, Maxwell has already been moved to a lower security prison, and Trump has repeatedly not ruled out a pardon or commutation of Maxwell’s sentence – though he says it is something he hasn’t actively considered.

Republican James Comer, chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, confirmed Maxwell refused to answer any questions by invoking her Fifth Amendment rights.

“This obviously is very disappointing,” he told reporters in Washington. “We had many questions to ask about the crimes she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get the truth to the American people and justice for the survivors.”

Comer, who is a staunch Trump ally, indicated he was not sympathetic to Maxwell’s clemency pursuit.

“When we met with the survivors of Epstein, it was pretty clear, according to the survivors … that Maxwell was a very bad person, and she committed a lot of crimes,” he said. “I personally … don’t think she should be granted any type of immunity or clemency.”

Ro Khanna, the top Democrat on the committee, noted Maxwell did not plead the Fifth when interviewed by deputy attorney-general Todd Blanche in July last year. Blanche is one of Trump’s former personal lawyers.

“My view is that many of my questions don’t in any way incriminate her,” Khanna said. “Why did she not plead the Fifth when Blanche asked her questions, and now she’s pleading the Fifth about things that don’t implicate her but may implicate many of the other powerful people in the Epstein class.”

Maxwell, the daughter of the late British media proprietor Robert Maxwell, is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse girls.

The committee has five further depositions scheduled: Epstein’s former high-profile client and former Victoria’s Secret chief executive Les Wexner, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Epstein’s former accountant and lawyer.

Comer did not rule out further subpoenas, saying the committee wanted to talk to anyone who could help deliver justice for the survivors, but did not want to jeopardise the five on the books.

Congress is coming under bipartisan pressure to investigate Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, after the Epstein files revealed he sought to meet or call the disgraced financier long after he claimed to have cut off contact, and even planned a visit to Epstein’s private island.

“Nice seeing you,” Epstein told Lutnick in December 2012, a day after the planned island visit, in a message that was forwarded by Epstein’s assistant.

Lutnick has not commented on the revelations, other than telling The New York Times: “I spent zero time with him [Epstein],” before reportedly hanging up the phone.

Republican congressman Thomas Massie – who, along with Khanna, led a push in Congress to release the Epstein files – has called on Lutnick to resign, as have some Democrats.

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