Only in exchange for immunity Epstein confidante sets conditions for testimony
The ex-girlfriend of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein offers to cooperate. But Congress considers testimony under these conditions impossible.
29.07.2025, 22:58
dpa
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- Ghislaine Maxwell has agreed to be questioned by the US Congress.
- However, the imprisoned ex-girlfriend of American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has set conditions.
- Maxwell's lawyers have also called on the Supreme Court to review her conviction.
The imprisoned ex-girlfriend of American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has agreed to be questioned by the US Congress - but is demanding immunity from further prosecution in return. Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers announced on Tuesday that all questions must also be submitted in advance.
However, an interview could only take place after the decision on her application to the Supreme Court to hear her case. The committee responded with a terse statement that such immunity was not under consideration.
The conditions were outlined in a letter from Maxwell's attorneys to Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
The committee last week subpoenaed Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for feeding underage girls to Epstein for abuse. In the letter, her attorneys said they were open to cooperating if committee members approved her request for immunity and other conditions.
However, the committee appeared to reject the offer outright. They will respond to Maxwell's attorney shortly, but are not considering granting her immunity for her testimony before Congress, a spokesman said.
Separately, Maxwell's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she was not given a fair trial. If granted a pardon by US President Donald Trump, she could testify openly and honestly in public, they said. Trump told reporters that he was authorized to take such a step, but had not been asked to do so.
The financier Epstein, who according to the authorities took his own life in his cell in 2019, was well connected in the upper class and also had ties to Trump. This has brought additional attention to the case and fueled conspiracy narratives.
During the election campaign, Trump had announced that he would publish further files on the Epstein case. The fact that this has not yet happened has caused speculation and outrage in the USA - including among Trump's voters.