BREAKING: Ghislaine Maxwell pleads the Fifth in House deposition, attorney says she can clear Trump and Clinton if granted clemency

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of infamous financier Jeffrey Epstein, appeared briefly for a deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, where she pleaded the Fifth and her attorneys said that she would only answer questions if granted clemency. Her attorney said that were she to be granted clemency, she would tell "the truth" and that this includes that "President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing."

Chairman James Comer said after the less than an hour closed-door interview, in which Maxwell appeared remotely, "as expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the Fifth and refused to answer any questions. This is obviously very disappointing."

Rep Andy Biggs said that Maxwell’s lawyer "said that she has no indication and would say that neither presidents Trump or Clinton are culpable for any wrongdoing, and that’s one thing they said in his opening statement." Comer said that former President Bill Clinton is set to appear before the committee on February 27, with his wife and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appearing the day before. 

Comer said that Maxwell’s attorneys said "she would answer questions if she were granted clemency by the president."

Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, posted his opening statement to social media, writing, "On my advice, Ghislaine Maxwell will respectfully invoke her Fifth Amendment right to silence and decline to answer questions today even though she would very much like to answer your questions. She must remain silent because Ms. Maxwell has a habeas petition currently pending that demonstrates that her conviction rests on a fundamentally unfair trial." He claimed that " jurors lied during voir dire to secure seats on the jury, and the government promised immunity and then broke that promise. Newly disclosed documents now demonstrate these facts conclusively."

Markus added, "If this Committee and the American public truly want to hear the unfiltered truth about what happened, there is a straightforward path. Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump. Only she can provide the complete account. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation."