remain silent during questioning by the US House Oversight Committee, according to her lawyer. Maxwell is expected to appear virtually for Monday's closed-door deposition from the Texas prison where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. "I can confirm that she will take the 5th," Maxwell's lawyer David Oscar Markus told the BBC on Sunday, referring to the right to avoid self-incrimination outlined in the Fifth Amendment of the US constitution. Instead, Maxwell will read "a prepared statement at the outset of the deposition", Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein, her former boyfriend, to exploit. Epstein died in prison in 2019. She is seeking a pardon from Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials. In a letter addressed to Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, a Republican, Khanna said he plans to ask Maxwell about a court document she filed last year saying there were "four named co-conspirators" and 25 others who were not indicted as part of the Epstein investigation.

He also plans to ask about her and the deceased financier's "social relationship" with Donald Trump, and whether the US president ever discussed a potential pardon for Maxwell with her defence team. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, with whom he says he severed contact decades ago, and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein's victims. Khanna said Maxwell's decision to not answer questions from the Oversight Committee "appears inconsistent with Ms Maxwell's prior conduct, as she did not invoke the Fifth Amendment when she previously met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss substantially similar subject matter".

According to a justice department transcript of that meeting in July, Maxwell told Blanche - who previously worked as Trump's personal attorney - that she did not witness any inappropriate conduct by Donald Trump or former US President Bill Clinton and that a rumoured Epstein "client list" does not exist. (BBC)