Comer OKs delay for Ghislaine Maxwell's congressional testimony, denies immunity request
Committee investigators were set to travel to a Tallahassee prison for an Aug. 11 sit-down with Maxwell after lawmakers voted to subpoena her over her close ties to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In a letter sent to Comer earlier this week, Maxwell's lawyer claimed she "did not receive a fair trial" and petitioned to delay the deposition date until after her case before the Supreme Court was resolved.
"On July 30, the U.S. Supreme Court noticed that your petition for writ of certiorari will be considered at its conference on September 29. In light of this notice, the Committee is willing to delay your deposition until a date following the Court's certiorari determination," Comer wrote on Friday.
According to the Kentucky Republican's letter, Maxwell's lawyer warned she would invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering any questions unless certain conditions were met.
"These conditions include: (1) a grant of immunity, (2) the deposition occurring outside of FCI Tallahassee, (3) access to the Committee's questions in advance, and (4) the conclusion of your recent appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and potential future habeas petition," Comer wrote.
He denied her requests for congressional immunity and to get the questions in advance, but wrote the committee would continue to "engage in good faith negotiations."
Comer also vowed the committee would honor its "long-standing practice of engaging in forthright and detailed discussions about scoping."
The subpoena was issued to Maxwell after a unanimous vote by both Republicans and Democrats on the committee in late July.
The motion to subpoena Maxwell was offered by Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.
"Your testimony is vital to the Committee's efforts regarding Mr. Jeffrey Epstein, including the 2007 non-prosecution agreement and the circumstances surrounding Mr. Epstein's death," Comer wrote. "These investigative efforts may be used to inform potential legislation to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations."
The letter comes hours after Fox News learned Maxwell was transferred from Florida to a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas.
Congressional investigators are looking to speak with Maxwell over her longstanding close ties to Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he died by suicide at a jail in New York City in 2019.
Maxwell herself was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022 "for her role in a scheme to sexual exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade," according to a press release by the Southern District of New York.
In the delay request, Maxwell's attorney argued that "Any testimony she provides now could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool."
Maxwell already met with federal investigators last week when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sat down with her in Tallahassee at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Bondi said in a statement announcing the meeting, "President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say."
Maxwell's lawyers told Fox News in response to Comer's letter, "We acknowledge Chairman Comer's letter and appreciate the Committee's willingness to delay Ms. Maxwell's deposition while her case is pending before the Supreme Court. We will continue to engage with Congress in good faith to find a way for Ms. Maxwell to share her information without compromising her constitutional right."
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