Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is interested in a clemency-for-cooperation deal that her attorney said could help clear President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton from unsavory allegations.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said his client is “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” arguing that “only she can provide the complete account” of Epstein’s crimes. Markus added that “both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing,” a claim Democrats immediately dismissed as a bargaining tactic.
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
House Oversight committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) confirmed that Markus pleaded her 5th Amendment rights and raised a clemency demand during Maxwell’s deposition with lawmakers on Monday.
Comer said Maxwell declined to answer questions but emphasized that the committee’s focus remains on extracting information relevant to Epstein’s network and government handling of his investigation.
The Epstein files released by the Department of Justice refer to both Trump and Clinton repeatedly, but in different ways. Trump is referenced largely in flight logs and social settings from the 1990s, with no allegations that he participated in or had knowledge of Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation, and records show he severed ties with Epstein years before the financier’s first criminal case. Clinton, by contrast, is documented as having taken multiple trips aboard Epstein’s private jet after leaving the White House and is referenced in Epstein-related scheduling and contact records, though the files contain no direct evidence tying either former president to criminal conduct.
Democrats say Maxwell’s refusal to talk is ‘campaigning’ for clemency
Democrats, meanwhile, accused Maxwell of using Congress as leverage to secure a pardon. Reps. Suhas Subramanyam (D-TX) and James Walkinshaw (D-VA) separately suggested that Maxwell was “campaigning” for clemency and that her public claims about Trump and Clinton were designed to increase pressure on the White House.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) said Maxwell’s counsel has made it “abundantly clear that she will continue protecting pedophiles and sex traffickers until she is granted clemency by Donald Trump.”
“She doesn’t care about the crimes that she has committed and is completely unremorseful,” Crockett added.
Ghislaine Maxwell has made it abundantly clear that she will continue protecting pedophiles and sex traffickers until she is granted clemency by Donald Trump.
She doesn’t care about the crimes that she has committed and is completely unremorseful.
We are not letting up. We…
— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@RepJasmine) February 9, 2026
A representative for the White House declined to offer any new comment about the rising concerns among Democrats on the committee but pointed to past statements by Trump, including a statement in November when Trump said he “hasn’t thought about it.”
“I haven’t thought about it for months. Maybe I haven’t thought about it at all … I don’t rule it in or out I don’t even think about it,” Trump said at the time.
When White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked the same question days before Trump’s comment, she reiterated, “It is not something he’s talking about or even thinking about at this moment in time.”
Former Epstein lawyer says Maxwell is a ‘perfect case’ for clemency deal
Former Epstein defense attorney Alan Dershowitz told the Washington Examiner that a clemency-for-cooperation deal with Maxwell would be a legitimate and effective way to obtain information about Epstein’s network. Dershowitz said he believes Maxwell likely would not be in prison had Epstein lived to stand trial, arguing she instead would have been treated as a cooperating witness. “If what the public really wants is information,” Dershowitz said, “this is a perfect case to exchange information.”
Dershowitz added that Maxwell is uniquely positioned to explain Epstein’s operation because she arranged appointments and managed access, calling her “the Rosetta Stone.” He argued that requiring Maxwell to testify without immunity would still expose her to perjury charges, giving her an incentive to tell the truth.
The former Epstein lawyer also said he volunteered to testify before Congress and to waive the attorney-client privilege, but was never called, which he said signals to him that lawmakers appear uninterested in testimony that would complicate the dominant narrative surrounding Epstein.
Maxwell previously played ball with DOJ officials in interview
Maxwell’s posture before Congress also contrasts with her cooperation during a two-day taped interview in late July with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, when she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment and answered questions from DOJ officials with her attorneys present.
GHISLAINE MAXWELL PLEADS FIFTH AND DEMANDS CLEMENCY IN JEFFERY EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION
Shortly after that interview, Maxwell was transferred from a higher-security federal prison to a minimum-security facility without a clear reason, a move that has fueled Democratic allegations that she is receiving favorable treatment while positioning herself for a clemency bid.
Comer said the Oversight committee’s investigation is continuing and that five additional depositions are scheduled in the coming weeks, including high-profile depositions involving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Feb. 26 and her former president spouse the following day.