Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, refused to answer questions from the House Oversight Committee.
The Associated Press reported that Maxwell asserted her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a video call. Maxwell is currently in a federal prison in Texas, serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking in the Epstein case.
The congressional committee began investigating the Epstein case last year, issuing a subpoena for records related to the case on August 5. Those efforts led to Congress passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 19. Last week, the Justice Department released more than 3.5 million documents related to the case.
Maxwell’s deposition is one of several the committee is expected to seek related to the Epstein case.
Epstein, a disgraced financier who had ties to prominent individuals, killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Epstein’s primary accomplice and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted of sex trafficking and is serving a 20-year-sentence.
The 2019 indictment alleged that Epstein sexually exploited and abused dozens of underage girls by enticing them to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for money. The government alleged at the time that Epstein worked with others to ensure that he had a steady supply of minor victims. Maxwell was considered to be his primary accomplice.
