Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and associate of Jeffrey Epstein, has said she is willing to testify before Congress but only if certain conditions are met, including a grant of immunity. The conditions were outlined in a letter sent by her lawyer, David Markus, to the House oversight committee on Tuesday.
Last week, the House committee on oversight and government subpoenaed Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, to testify via deposition next month at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. However, Markus wrote that testifying “from prison and without a grant of immunity” were “non-starters”.
Markus stated that Maxwell is actively pursuing post-conviction relief, including a pending petition before the United States Supreme Court and a forthcoming habeas petition. He argued that any testimony could compromise her constitutional rights and prejudice her legal claims. Nevertheless, he expressed a desire to cooperate if a “fair and safe path forward” could be established.
The conditions include formal immunity, that the interview not take place at the correctional facility, that questions be provided in advance, and that the deposition be postponed until after the resolution of her legal petitions. Markus warned that if these demands were not met, Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment rights.
A spokesperson for the oversight committee said the committee would respond soon but would not consider granting congressional immunity. At the end of the letter, Markus also made a plea for clemency, stating that if Maxwell received clemency, she would be willing to testify openly in Washington, D.C.
