Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer demands 'clemency by President Trump' before testimony
WASHINGTON, DC: Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment rights and refused to answer questions during a virtual deposition before the House Oversight Committee, her attorney said, insisting that she would testify only if granted clemency by President Donald Trump.
In a statement released after the appearance, Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said that he advised his client to remain silent but stressed she was willing to cooperate under specific conditions.
“Ms Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” Markus said. “Only she can provide the complete account” of Jeffrey Epstein’s actions.
Attorney claims Trump, Clinton ‘innocent’ and only Maxwell can explain it
Markus argued that Maxwell’s testimony could clear prominent political figures whose names appeared in the Justice Department files related to Epstein.
“Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters,” Markus said, adding that “both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing.”
He said Maxwell alone could explain why and that “the public is entitled to that explanation.”
Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Constitutional right to silence this morning before @RepJamesComer and the House Oversight Committee. Here is the statement I gave to the Committee explaining why:
— David Oscar Markus (@domarkus) February 9, 2026
Members of the Committee:
On my advice, Ghislaine Maxwell will respectfully invoke…
Markus said that he had conveyed the statement directly to the Oversight Committee, telling lawmakers that Maxwell “would very much like to answer your questions” but could not do so while a habeas petition challenging her conviction remained pending.
He claimed that the petition demonstrated that her conviction resulted from a “fundamentally unfair trial.”
Lawmakers blast Ghislaine Maxwell’s silence
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky) said Maxwell’s refusal to testify was “very disappointing,” noting lawmakers had intended to question her about the crimes committed by Epstein and Maxwell and about potential co-conspirators.
Democrats on the committee were far more scathing. Rep Ro Khanna (D-Calif), who attended the deposition, accused Maxwell of attempting to trade testimony for leniency.
Here is my conclusion after sitting through Maxwell's deposition with her refusing to answer a single question about the men who raped underage girls, saying she would only do so for clemency.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) February 9, 2026
She must immediately be sent back to the maximum security prison where she belongs. https://t.co/1LiInZsP5i
“She refused to answer a single question about the men, saying she would only do so for clemency,” Khanna wrote on social media. “She must immediately be sent back to the maximum security prison where she belongs.”
Rep Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) echoed the criticism, accusing Maxwell of trying to “buy her clemency” by remaining silent. “We will not allow this silence to stand,” she said.
