The US Congress will today record a confidential, closed-door testimony from Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. However, it is likely that she will refuse to answer questions.
According to a foreign news agency, Ghislaine Maxwell—who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of trafficking underage girls for Epstein—will appear before the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee via video link.
The congressional committee is reviewing official records related to Epstein’s crimes and his connections with influential political and business figures. However, Maxwell’s lawyers say that unless she is granted legal immunity, she will invoke her Fifth Amendment right under the US Constitution to avoid self-incrimination.
According to her legal team, if Congress does not provide legal protection, the proceedings will amount to nothing more than political theater. US lawmakers have rejected Maxwell’s request for immunity.
It is worth noting that Jeffrey Epstein was convicted in 2008 for engaging in sexual relations with a minor. In 2019, during hearings in a child trafficking case, he was found dead in prison—officially ruled a suicide.
The report adds that revelations of Epstein’s ties with several influential figures, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, caused major political turmoil in the United States. The Oversight Committee also plans to take statements from Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in the coming days, both of whom have demanded that their testimonies be recorded publicly.