Category: Robert garcia
Ghislaine Maxwell scheduled to testify before House Oversight
The House Oversight Committee revealed Wednesday that it plans to depose Ghislaine Maxwell next month as part of the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.
Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in a Texas prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse children, is scheduled to testify virtually on February 9 in a closed session.
‘Ms. Maxwell will invoke her privilege against self-incrimination.’
Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) stated during a Wednesday hearing, “We need to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell. We’ve been trying to get her in for a deposition, and her lawyers have been saying that she’s going to plead the Fifth. But we have nailed down a date, February 9, where Ghislaine Maxwell will be deposed by this committee.”
Comer stated that he hopes Maxwell changes her mind about invoking the Fifth Amendment.
David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s attorney, wrote in a Tuesday letter to Comer, “Ms. Maxwell will invoke her privilege against self-incrimination and decline to answer questions.”
Markus claimed moving forward with deposition would serve “no other purpose than pure political theater and a complete waste of taxpayer monies.”
James Comer. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“That is not a negotiating position or a tactical choice; it is a legal necessity,” Markus stated. He claimed that his client’s “post-conviction litigation is far from over,” referring to a pending habeas petition seeking to vacate her conviction.
Maxwell filed the petition in December, arguing that her conviction must be voided because a juror gave false answers during the selection process, “concealing a history of sexual abuse directly relevant to ‘issues at trial.’” She also claimed that prosecutors concealed a detective’s grand jury testimony that “conflicted with his trial testimony.”
Ghislaine Maxwell. Photo by Paul Zimmerman/WireImage
Democrats on the committee accused Comer of treating Bill and Hillary Clinton differently from Maxwell, claiming he was allowing Maxwell to avoid answering to lawmakers.
Comer disputed that claim, arguing that Maxwell has been willing to appear before the committee, while the Clintons have “refused to appear,” altogether ignoring the committee’s subpoenas.
“One of the proposals that Clinton made was, if we would let Hillary Clinton off, then Mr. Garcia and I could travel to Mr. Clinton’s house and bring one staffer and take notes, but no transcript,” Comer said, referring to the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). “That’s not even a thing, and you all know that.”
“What few counterproposals that the Clintons’ massive legal team has made aren’t acceptable,” Comer stated.
Comer noted that the committee has been negotiating with the Clintons’ lawyers for five months.
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