US House Democrats say Epstein associate Maxwell seeking Trump pardon by refusing to testify

Maxwell declined to answer any questions during a deposition with the House Oversight Committee, repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution, which allows individuals to refuse to testify if their answers could be used against them in a criminal case.

Democratic lawmakers including James Walkinshaw told reporters that Maxwell's appearance amounted to "another episode in her long-running campaign for clemency from President Trump."

"President Trump could end that today. He could rule out clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, the monster; he could rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell,” Walkinshaw said, adding "the question for all of us today is, why hasn't he done that? And why won't he do that?"

Rep. Jasmine Crockett said Democrats would continue their investigation despite Maxwell's refusal to cooperate.

"We will not be deterred. We will not be distracted. We know who it is that needs to be held accountable," Crockett told reporters, noting "this will not stop us…Miss Maxwell, we're not done. We're going to continue to go."

Rep. Melanie Stansbury accused US authorities of suppressing accountability, saying: "There are now at least nine or 10 other countries across the world that have opened investigations…and the US government is engaged in an active cover-up of the largest sex trafficking scandal and influence peddling scandal in the history of the United States, and Donald Trump is right at the center of it."

Echoing his colleagues, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said Maxwell's silence carried a clear message.

"It is very clear that she used this opportunity to not only campaign for clemency…but also to send a direct message…which is that her silence can be bought through clemency," he said.

Maxwell is a central figure in the abuse case involving Epstein.

In 2022, she was convicted by a US court of crimes including sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The US Justice Department recently released more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images related to Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law in November by Trump.

The materials include photographs, grand jury transcripts and investigative records, though many pages remain heavily redacted.

Epstein was found dead by suicide in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.