Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, is due to be questioned behind closed doors by the US Congress on Monday, although she is expected to invoke her right not to answer questions.
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking underage girls to Epstein, will be questioned by videolink from prison during a deposition conducted by the House of Representatives Oversight Committee.
While no new US prosecutions are anticipated following the recent release of government files relating to Epstein, a number of political and business figures have faced scandal or resigned after their links to the convicted sex offender were disclosed.
The Oversight Committee is examining Epstein’s connections to powerful individuals and how information about his crimes was handled by authorities.
Maxwell is expected to invoke her right against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor. His extensive relationships with wealthy and influential figures — particularly after his release from prison in 2009 — later became a source of global political controversy.
He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of child sex trafficking, in what authorities ruled a suicide.
Maxwell’s legal team had urged Congress to grant her immunity in order to compel her testimony, but lawmakers declined. As a result, her lawyers said she would refuse to answer questions.
“Proceeding under these circumstances would serve no purpose other than pure political theatre,” her lawyers said in a letter.
The Trump administration has previously faced criticism over its handling of Maxwell’s case.
Last year, Maxwell was transferred to a minimum-security prison in Texas after meeting twice with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who had earlier served as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer.
Trump, a long-time associate of Epstein, has not been called to testify by the Oversight Committee, which is chaired by members of his Republican Party.
The committee is also expected to depose former president Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, both Democrats.
The Clintons have called for their depositions to be held publicly, arguing that open hearings would prevent Republicans from politicising their testimony.
