WASHINGTON:Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell will be questioned behind closed doors by the US Congress on Monday, though she’s expected to invoke her right to not answer questions.
Maxwell, currently serving 20 years in prison for trafficking girls to the disgraced financier Epstein, will face questions from prison via videolink, in a deposition by the House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee.
Though no new US prosecutions are expected after the latest dump of government files on Epstein, numerous political and business leaders have fallen into scandal or resigned as their ties to the convicted sex criminal were revealed.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is probing Epstein’s connections to powerful figures and how information about his crimes was handled.
Maxwell, however, is expected to invoke her right to not incriminate herself, guaranteed in the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor. His extensive ties to the world’s rich and powerful, especially after he was released in 2009, have become politically explosive across the globe.
He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking children in what was ruled a suicide.
Maxwell’s lawyers have pushed for Congress to grant her legal immunity in order to testify in the deposition, but lawmakers refused.
Without that, her legal team said she would invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
“Proceeding under these circumstances would serve no other purpose than pure political theater,” her lawyers said in a letter.
Though the deposition will occur behind closed doors, Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat, published a letter of the questions he intended to ask Maxwell even if she refuses to answer.
Some touch on Trump’s ties to Epstein and Maxwell.
Others focus on four “co-conspirators” as well as 25 other men who allegedly “sexually abused minors at Epstein’s island.”
One of the questions asks: “Why do you believe they were not indicted?“
The Trump administration has already come under criticism for its handling of her case.
Last year Maxwell was moved to a minimum-security prison in Texas after meeting twice with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as US President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer.
Trump himself was a longtime Epstein associate, but has not been called to testify by the Oversight Committee, which is led by members of his Republican Party.
Trump has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein’s activities.
Also expected to be deposed by the committee are former president Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, both Democrats.
The Clintons have called for their depositions to be held publicly to prevent Republicans from politicizing their testimony.
US Congress to depose Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell
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US Congress to depose Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell
- Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell will be questioned behind closed doors by the US Congress on Monday, though she’s expected to invoke her right to not answer questions
Kyiv under ‘massive’ missile attack, Russian village evacuated after drone strike
- "A mass attack on the capital is still underway," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on Telegram early Thursday
- Simultaneously, a Ukrainian drone attack deep inside Russia ignited a fire at a Ministry of Defense facility in the Volgograd region
KYIV/MOSCOW: The conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated sharply early Thursday as both sides launched significant aerial assaults, targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas.
The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, came under a “massive” attack from Russian missiles, officials said, while Russian authorities ordered the evacuation of a village in the Volgograd region following a drone strike on a military facility.
"A mass attack on the capital is still underway," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on Telegram early Thursday. He reported hits on both residential and non-residential buildings on both sides of the Dnipro River, which bisects the city.
According to preliminary reports, falling fragments struck near two residential buildings in one district. While no fires broke out and no immediate casualties were reported, emergency medical teams were dispatched to the affected areas.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, confirmed at least one hit in an eastern suburb, as witnesses reported explosions resounding across the city.
The southeastern city of Dnipro was also targeted. Regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha stated that while some private homes and cars sustained damage, there were no indications of casualties. Air raid alerts remained in effect in both Kyiv and Dnipro well after midnight.
Drone Strike in Russia
Simultaneously, a Ukrainian drone attack deep inside Russia ignited a fire at a Ministry of Defense facility in the Volgograd region.
"Falling debris caused a fire on the grounds of a Ministry of Defense facility near the village of Kotluban," Governor Andrey Bocharov posted on Telegram.
Authorities declared an immediate evacuation of the nearby village "to ensure civilian safety from the threat of detonation during firefighting," Bocharov added.
The exchange of strikes follows a deadly day in eastern Ukraine. On Wednesday, a Russian strike on the city of Bogodukhiv in the Kharkiv region killed four people, including three young children.
Regional military head Oleg Synegubov reported that two one-year-old boys and a two-year-old girl were killed, along with a 34-year-old man. A 74-year-old woman and a 35-year-old pregnant woman were also wounded in the attack. The Kharkiv region has seen intensified Russian attacks on transport and energy infrastructure in recent weeks.
The ongoing violence stands in stark contrast to diplomatic efforts. Ukrainian and Russian officials have been holding US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending the four-year invasion. While the two sides successfully conducted a prisoner swap last week, a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict remains elusive.
The human toll continues to mount. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), approximately 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Russia invaded in February 2022. The agency noted that 2025 was the deadliest year of the conflict so far, with more than 2,500 civilians killed.
