House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Monday he opposes granting immunity or clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell after the convicted sex trafficker invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a closed-door congressional deposition tied to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Comer spoke with reporters in a Capitol building hallway shortly after the panel's virtual session ended without testimony from Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking and related crimes.
Asked whether it was a mistake to move Maxwell to a minimum-security prison and whether she should be transferred back, Comer said, "I don't know the rationale for removing her from one prison to the other."
Maxwell was transferred last summer by the Bureau of Prisons to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, a move that drew renewed scrutiny as lawmakers pressed for more transparency in the government's handling of Epstein-related records.
Comer said Maxwell previously sought immunity from the committee, but that request was rejected after lawmakers consulted Epstein's victims.
"But look, initially she had asked that the Oversight Committee grant immunity, and when we met with the survivors of Epstein, it was pretty clear, according to the survivors — and … 20-some members in that meeting — that Maxwell was a very bad person, and she committed a lot of crimes," Comer said.
He said lawmakers from both parties agreed not to grant protection.
"And it was the intent, in my opinion, when we left that meeting in a bipartisan manner that we would not grant immunity," Comer said.
He added that Maxwell is seeking clemency from President Donald Trump.
"So, I personally, from the reason you just stated, don't think she should be granted any type of immunity or clemency," he said. "As more documents are read and understood, then we'll go from there."
The deposition took place as Congress and the Justice Department face intensifying pressure over the pace and scope of disclosures related to Epstein's crimes and the people who enabled them.
Maxwell's refusal to answer questions is likely to deepen that frustration, including among lawmakers who argue that victims and the public deserve a fuller accounting of what federal authorities knew and when.
Comer praised the Justice Department for letting lawmakers review redacted records related to Epstein.
"I think it's great that the Department of Justice has let members of Congress come in and look at all the redacted versions of the documents," Comer said, adding that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi "is doing what she was supposed to do."
At the center of the inquiry is accountability for Epstein's crimes and justice for victims.
"So I think we're finally going to get some answers," Comer said, "and finally, at the end of the day, we're going to do what our objective is in this hearing: Provide justice for the survivors."
Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, and his death ended a case that prosecutors said involved trafficking and abuse of underage girls.
Maxwell was later convicted for helping recruit, groom, and traffic victims for Epstein.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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