Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted accomplice and girlfriend of child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, is threatening to withhold critical information during her testimony before the House Oversight Committee, unless her demands are met.
Maxwell is due to appear before congressional investigators following a subpoena that was issued last week.
The deposition is part of ongoing efforts by Congress to investigate the full extent of Epstein’s sex crimes and the individuals involved.
Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in procuring underage girls for Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and personal abuse, has submitted a letter to House Oversight Chairman James Comer.
Her letter outlines three major conditions before she would agree to testify before Congress.
In the letter, Maxwell’s legal team argues that they need formal immunity for her testimony.
She is citing both legal and security concerns related to her potential disclosures.
“The potential for leaks from such a setting creates real security risks and undermines the integrity of the process,” the letter states.
The demand underscores their concern about the fallout from Maxwell’s potentially explosive testimony.
Maxwell’s legal team also demands that the committee provide the questions they intend to ask in advance.
They argue that the process should not devolve into a “game of cat-and-mouse,” pushing for transparency in order to ensure a fair and well-prepared process.
The third request in Maxwell’s letter is a delay of the deposition until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on her ongoing appeal.
She is currently fighting her 2021 conviction for sex trafficking and has filed a habeas petition in the hopes of overturning her sentence.
Maxwell’s team is also requesting that any deposition be postponed until these legal matters are fully resolved.
As part of her legal strategy, Maxwell’s attorneys have argued that the federal government violated a non-prosecution agreement signed with Epstein in 2007.
Maxewell and her lawyers contend that the deal should also shield her from criminal charges.
The defense maintains that the agreement, which was originally limited to Florida, was broader than the prosecution has interpreted, and that the government’s stance on the matter is an overreach.
In their filing to the Supreme Court, Maxwell’s attorneys argue that the government’s interpretation of the non-prosecution agreement is “flipping its plain meaning on its head.”
Maxwell is claiming that the promise of not prosecuting Epstein and his co-conspirators should have applied more broadly, not just in Florida.
The case for Maxwell’s appeal hinges on whether the non-prosecution agreement applies outside of Florida and whether it protects her from prosecution in New York, where she was convicted of aiding Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
Her legal team asserts that there were no geographic restrictions in the agreement, and they insist that the discussion should end there.
Maxwell’s request to delay her deposition comes on the heels of her interviews last week with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at a Florida courthouse.
Those interviews, which lasted nearly two days, were part of an ongoing investigation into Epstein’s extensive abuse network.
Maxwell’s attempts to delay her testimony before Congress come at a critical time.
Currently, lawmakers are looking to shed more light on the connections and the full scale of Epstein’s crimes.
While her legal battle continues, the public remains eager for answers, with many hoping her testimony will provide critical insight into the shadowy world of Epstein’s trafficking operation.
As Maxwell remains behind bars in a federal prison in Tallahassee, her legal team is pushing hard to challenge her conviction and any additional legal proceedings against her.
However, Congress and the public are keen on holding her accountable for her role in one of the most high-profile sex trafficking scandals in modern history.
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