Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, will refuse to testify and will instead invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a congressional investigation, a senior US lawmaker has confirmed.
Maxwell's Defiance Confirmed
According to a new report, Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, stated that Maxwell's legal team has made it clear she will not cooperate. "Her lawyers have replied that she's not going to answer any questions," Comer told Politico. "She's only going to plead the Fifth."
Comer expressed his frustration, questioning the use of public funds for an exercise that would yield no new information. "I could spend a bunch of taxpayer dollars to send staff and members down there, and if she's going to plead the Fifth, I don't know that that's a good investment," he remarked.
Subpoena and Legislative Context
The congressman had subpoenaed Maxwell in July 2025, compelling her to provide testimony before Congress. Initially, her attorneys had suggested she might provide answers if certain unspecified conditions were met, but their position has now hardened into a blanket refusal.
This development comes just two days after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law. This legislation mandates the Department of Justice to release its extensive files on the Epstein case. Furthermore, earlier in November 2025, the House Oversight Committee itself published a massive cache of 20,000 documents from Epstein's private estate, which included numerous emails referencing President Trump.
Implications and Next Steps
Maxwell's decision to plead the Fifth effectively halts this particular line of congressional inquiry into her activities. She is currently serving a prison sentence for her role in the sex trafficking crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.
An attorney representing Ghislaine Maxwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent regarding the lawmaker's statements. The move leaves the committee to pursue its investigation through other avenues as the public and legislative pressure for transparency in the Epstein case continues.
