Ghislaine Maxwell has sparked quite an outrage after she invoked her Fifth Amendment right to silence at a meeting with the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Feb. 9, 2026. This came in the aftermath of the latest Epstein files drop.
The complete release of the Epstein files has victims and spectators strongly demanding accountability and justice. That now lies in the hands of Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted associate, Maxwell.
🚨BREAKING: Ghislaine Maxwell pleads the Fifth in House Oversight Epstein investigation
Chairman James Comer “As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the fifth and refused to answer any questions…”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 9, 2026
According to the BBC, Maxwell refused to answer questions about her involvement with the late financier, Jeffrey Epstein. For security reasons, she gave a virtual interview from the corrections facility in Texas, where she is serving her 20-year prison sentence. Her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, was also present in the virtual closed-door meeting.
In official footage, the convicted sex offender rarely made eye contact and gazed down. To every single question asked, Maxwell pleaded the Fifth Amendment, invoking a person’s right to remain silent during a legal questioning.
Maxwell refused to answer even the most basic questions, like whether or not Epstein was her friend. She also shut down questions about allegedly grooming and trafficking minors and women by invoking her Fifth Amendment rights. She was also asked if she feared her answers would incriminate her in the probe. To that, Maxwell once more objected with the Fifth.
This is the life that Ghislaine Maxwell was deservingly living before the Trump’s DOJ moved her to a lower security prison that has been compared to a country club, shortly after Maxwell met in late July 2025 with Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Put her back in this… pic.twitter.com/GJZmMxDNtz
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) February 6, 2026
Republican House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer claimed he expected Maxwell’s limited response. Although the response was expected, Comer admitted he was disappointed in the outcome. He also claimed there were many more questions about the crimes she and Epstein committed that he preferred she had addressed.
Comer also explained what Maxwell’s answers would mean for the victims who are still awaiting justice. Comer said, “We sincerely want to get the truth for the American people, and justice for the survivors.”
Representative Robert Garcia from the committee also expressed his frustrations over Maxwell’s actions. Garcia also pointed out the lack of empathy Maxwell had in allegedly refusing to answer questions about the people involved in the criminal activities on Epstein Island.
Directing his frustrations at the Trump administration, Garcia pointed out the alleged “special treatment” Maxwell is apparently receiving in a low-security prison. He also said, “We are going to end this White House cover-up.”
Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Constitutional right to silence this morning before @RepJamesComer and the House Oversight Committee. Here is the statement I gave to the Committee explaining why:
Members of the Committee:
On my advice, Ghislaine Maxwell will respectfully invoke…
— David Oscar Markus (@domarkus) February 9, 2026
Maxwell’s lawyer, Markus, explained why she decided to invoke her right to silence at the recent meeting. He cited Maxwell’s only condition to reveal the truth, and that’s only if POTUS Donald Trump would grant her clemency, according to CBS News.
It doesn’t appear that the White House is on board with that idea because they’ve already clarified their stance on the matter. Previously, they’ve claimed that leniency was off the table. The question is, will Trump cut a leniency deal with Maxwell, or will authorities find another way for her to talk? It’s just as her lawyer stated on social media, “Only she can provide the complete account.”
