Washington [US], February 10: Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions from the US House Oversight Committee on Monday.
Maxwell appeared virtually for a closed-door deposition from the Texas prison where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
Republican House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer said that "as expected", Maxwell pleaded the Fifth Amendment, invoking her right to remain silent.
"This is obviously very disappointing," he said.
"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 to the truth for the American people, and justice for the survivors, that's what this investigation is about," Comer added.
The Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution gives Americans the right to avoid self-incrimination by refusing to answer questions while under oath.
Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury told reporters after the hearing that Maxwell used the opportunity to "campaign for clemency".
Comer said it was clear from speaking to Epstein survivors "that Maxwell was a very bad person" who did not deserve any type of immunity.
In a social media post earlier, Maxwell's lawyer David Oscar Markus said Maxwell was "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," he posted.
In a letter sent to the House Oversight Committee before Maxwell's appearance, a group of Epstein survivors urged lawmakers to be sceptical of any information provided by Maxwell.
They criticised her for refusing to identify "the many powerful men" involved in Epstein's trafficking operation and her refusals to "meaningfully cooperate" with law enforcement, saying any "special treatment" or "credibility afforded to her testimony", would be catastrophic for survivors.
The White House has previously said "no leniency is being given or discussed" in relation to Maxwell.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein, her former boyfriend, to exploit.
Epstein died in prison in 2019. She is seeking a pardon from Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials.
In a letter addressed to Comer before the deposition, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said he planned to ask Maxwell about a court document she filed last year saying there were "four named co-conspirators" and 25 others who were not indicted as part of the Epstein investigation.
He also planned to ask about her and the deceased financier's "social relationship" with Donald Trump, and whether the US president ever discussed a potential pardon for Maxwell with her defence team.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, with whom he says he severed contact decades ago, and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein's victims.
Khanna said Maxwell's decision to not answer questions from the Oversight Committee "appears inconsistent with Ms Maxwell's prior conduct, as she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment when she previously met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss substantially similar subject matter".
According to a justice department transcript of that meeting in July, Maxwell told Blanche - who previously worked as Trump's personal attorney - that she did not witness any inappropriate conduct by Donald Trump or former US President Bill Clinton and that a rumoured Epstein "client list" does not exist.
Monday's deposition was originally scheduled for last August but was postponed by Comer after a request from Maxwell's lawyers to wait for a Supreme Court ruling related to her case.
The testimony comes as the US Department of Justice has released millions of pages of new files from its investigation into the disgraced financier after a law compelling their unveiling was passed by Congress last year.
Members of Congress will be allowed to view the un-redacted versions of the nearly three million pages in person at the Department of Justice starting on Monday, the BBC's US news partner CBS reported.
"I think it's great that the Department of Justice is letting members of Congress come in and look at all the un-redacted versions of the documents," Comer told reporters at the Capitol on Monday.
A group of Epstein survivors on Sunday released a video calling for further transparency around redactions and certain unreleased files.
Blanche has rejected any accusations of a cover-up, saying previously that the notion of a "hidden tranche of information of men that we know about" and that the justice department is choosing not to prosecute is not the case.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
