Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has agreed to testify under oath before the congressional committee investigating the federal government's handling of the Epstein cases.
Committee chairman James Comer, who is leading the investigation, says Maxwell will speak to the committee virtually on 9 February.
Maxwell's legal team has previously stated that she would decline to answer questions under her constitutional right to remain silent unless granted legal immunity.
Comer, previewing the deposition, mentioned, her lawyers have been saying she is going to plead the Fifth, referring to the US Fifth Amendment right to decline to speak to authorities.
The announcement from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee comes as the Trump administration continues to face intense scrutiny for its handling of the Epstein case.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting and trafficking teenage girls for sexual abuse by Epstein.
In July, the committee declined to offer Maxwell legal immunity in exchange for her testimony.
Legal summons were issued in August requiring her to provide evidence under oath. However, Maxwell's legal team argued that testifying from jail and without immunity were "non-starters."
They emphasized that she "cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity." They also expressed concerns regarding her security while testifying.
House lawmakers cannot compel Maxwell to waive her Fifth Amendment protections.
On Tuesday, Maxwell's legal team reiterated their refusal to testify, stating that proceeding under such conditions would be a waste of taxpayer money and yield no new information.
Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021, had appealed her conviction last October, but the Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal.
Unless she can persuade a federal judge to alter her sentence or obtain a presidential pardon, her options for early release remain limited. The White House has denied that Trump is considering granting her clemency.
Separately, the Department of Justice is under pressure to release remaining Epstein files, but their recent redactions have drawn bipartisan criticism.
Moreover, the House committee is also examining the refusal of former Presidents Bill and Hillary Clinton to appear before the panel regarding the Epstein investigation, with contempt charges being considered.
