The Guardian (US) February 15, 2026

Ghislaine Maxwell Offers to Reveal 'Truth' in Exchange for Clemency

Key Takeaways

▶ Ghislaine Maxwell offered to reveal 'the truth' about Jeffrey Epstein through her legal team — but only if freed from her 20-year prison sentence.
▶ Maxwell refused to testify before Congress under oath, making the offer through lawyers instead.
▶ The proposal came as Congress subpoenaed multiple Epstein associates including billionaire Les Wexner.

Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 9, declining to answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein’s network. Through her attorney, she offered to speak if President Donald Trump grants her clemency, according to The Guardian.¹

Maxwell, convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking minors in connection with Epstein, is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. She appeared for the virtual deposition dressed in a brown prison-issued shirt and repeatedly stated she was invoking “my Fifth Amendment right to silence,” according to video later released by the committee.⁵⁶

The Clemency Offer

Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, said in a statement to the committee that “Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”⁶

Markus added that both Trump and former President Bill Clinton “are innocent of any wrongdoing” and that “Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation.”⁷ He argued that only Maxwell could provide a complete account of Epstein’s actions.⁶

Trump has not indicated any intention to grant clemency. During a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year, Trump told reporters he was “allowed” to pardon Maxwell but that it was “something I have not thought about.”⁷

Congressional Reaction

Lawmakers from both parties rejected the offer. Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican, told reporters he did not “think she should be granted any type of immunity or clemency.”⁶

House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was “unconscionable that she’s pleading the Fifth or trying to make deals.”⁶

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-authored the Epstein Transparency Act, expressed frustration after the deposition. He wrote on social media that Maxwell had refused to answer “a single question about the men who raped underage girls” and called for her to be “immediately sent back to the maximum security prison where she belongs.”⁵

Khanna also noted that Maxwell had previously spoken with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who had served as Trump’s personal lawyer before joining the Justice Department.⁵

Victims’ Response

Family members of the late Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent Epstein accusers, released a letter rejecting Maxwell’s framing of herself as a potential cooperator. “You were a central, deliberate actor in a system built to find children, isolate them, groom them, and deliver them to abuse,” Sky and Amanda Roberts wrote.⁶

Broader Investigation

The deposition came as the Justice Department released millions of internal documents related to Epstein under the Epstein Transparency Act. Lawmakers were given access to more than 3 million files in a DOJ reading room with four computers; they may take only handwritten notes and may not bring staff.⁶

Congress has subpoenaed multiple Epstein associates, including billionaire Leslie Wexner.² Lawmakers have also pressed the Justice Department over redacted files and questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi about sealed documents.³⁴

Maxwell’s lawyers have separately filed papers in Manhattan federal court to block the release of 90,000 pages related to a since-settled civil defamation lawsuit brought by Giuffre, arguing the disclosure law is unconstitutional.⁸