Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice of American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, would be willing to testify before the U.S. Congress committee if U.S. President Donald Trump pardons her, her attorney said on Monday, according to LETA citing AFP.
64-year-old Maxwell, serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, was summoned to testify before the U.S. House Oversight Committee about her connections with Epstein.
At a closed session, Maxwell, "as expected," invoked her Fifth Amendment right under the U.S. Constitution, allowing her not to answer questions that could incriminate her, said committee chairman Republican James Comer.
"This is certainly extremely disappointing," the congressman said. "We had many questions about the crimes committed by her and Epstein, as well as potential accomplices," he added.
Maxwell's attorney, David Marcus, stated that she is willing to testify publicly if she is pardoned by Trump.
"If this committee and the American public truly want to hear the whole truth without embellishments about what happened, then the path is clear," the attorney's statement said. "Maxwell is ready to speak fully and honestly if President Trump pardons her."
Marcus also stated that Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, who previously had friendly relations with Epstein, "are not guilty of any wrongdoing."
"Only Maxwell can explain why, and society deserves that explanation," the attorney noted.
Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the late British media mogul Robert Maxwell, is the only person convicted of crimes related to Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.
In 2021, Maxwell was found guilty of supplying Epstein with underage girls and young women.
She was summoned for questioning in a virtual format from the Texas prison where she is serving her sentence.
