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Comer OKs delay for Ghislaine Maxwell’s congressional testimony, denies immunity request
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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is delaying Ghislaine Maxwell’s planned deposition until after the Supreme Court weighs her request to overturn her conviction, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
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.
COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were both indicted on federal sex trafficking charges stemming from Epstein’s years of abuse of underage girls. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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.
House Oversight and Accountability Committee chairman James Comer responded to Maxwell’s request for a delay. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«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 had been transferred from Florida to a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas.
GOP LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER STRATEGY TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS
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 had already met with federal investigators last week when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sat down with her in Tallahassee at the direction of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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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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Las inundaciones repentinas causadas por intensas lluvias sorprendieron a la población del pueblo de Dharali, en el distrito de Uttarkashi en el estado indio de Uttarakhand, después de que un torrente de lodo y agua arrasara el martes un estrecho valle montañoso del Himalaya. Al menos cuatro personas fallecieron y alrededor de cien permanecen desaparecidas, según confirmaron autoridades estatales y federales.
El ministro de Estado de Defensa, Sanjay Seth, declaró a la agencia de noticias Press Trust of India (PTI) que “es una situación grave… Hemos recibido información que indica que hay cuatro muertos y alrededor de 100 personas desaparecidas. Rezamos por su seguridad”. Imágenes difundidas por los medios locales mostraron ríos de agua fangosa arrastrando casas y tiendas, mientras personas intentaban escapar ante la oleada de escombros.
Prashant Arya, funcionario administrativo de la región, detalló que “unos doce hoteles han sido arrastrados y varias tiendas se han derrumbado”. Agregó que el ejército indio, junto con policías y rescatistas, trabajaba en la búsqueda de desaparecidos y en la evacuación de quienes permanecían atrapados bajo los restos de los edificios colapsados. El ejército desplegó 150 soldados que han auxiliado en el rescate de unas 20 personas en las primeras horas tras la tragedia.
El comandante de la Fuerza Estatal de Respuesta a Desastres, Arpan Yaduvanshi, informó que el lodo alcanzó hasta 15 metros de profundidad en algunos puntos, cubriendo por completo varios edificios de la localidad. Una alerta roja por lluvias “extremadamente intensas” fue emitida para Uttarakhand por el Departamento Meteorológico de la India, que también ha pronosticado más precipitaciones en los próximos días para la zona.
El primer ministro de India, Narendra Modi, expresó sus condolencias e indicó que “no se está escatimando ningún esfuerzo para prestar asistencia”. El ministro principal del estado de Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, añadió que las agencias de rescate trabajan “a toda máquina” para salvar vidas y ofrecer alivio a los afectados, señalando que la inundación fue causada por un “aguacero” repentino e intenso.
La Autoridad Nacional de Gestión de Desastres de la India (NDMA) solicitó el despliegue de tres helicópteros para apoyar las tareas de rescate, debido a las dificultades de acceso derivadas del terreno montañoso y las condiciones meteorológicas. Las autoridades ordenaron el cierre de escuelas en varios distritos, incluidos Dehradun y Haridwar, dado el pronóstico de lluvias continuas.
La región ha experimentado un aumento en la frecuencia y gravedad tanto de inundaciones como de deslizamientos de tierra, especialmente durante la temporada del monzón, que va de junio a septiembre. Los expertos en gestión ambiental atribuyen parte de este incremento al cambio climático y al desarrollo urbano no controlado en áreas propensas a desastres, como ocurría en los Himalayas.
En 2013, Uttarakhand enfrentó una tragedia similar cuando lluvias intensas causaron la muerte de más de 6.000 personas y afectaron a 4.500 aldeas. Según un informe de 2023 del Centro Internacional para el Desarrollo Integrado de las Montañas, al menos 200 de los más de 2.000 lagos glaciares de la región podrían desbordarse y causar inundaciones catastróficas río abajo.
De acuerdo con la Base de Datos de Eventos de Emergencia de la Universidad de Louvain, en 2024 ocurrieron 167 desastres en Asia, el número más alto entre todos los continentes, que incluyeron tormentas, inundaciones, olas de calor y terremotos, y causaron pérdidas superiores a 32.000 millones de dólares.
Las autoridades continúan las labores de búsqueda y rescate en Dharali, mientras la población se mantiene alerta ante la amenaza de nuevas precipitaciones y posibles deslizamientos de tierra en la región montañosa del Himalaya.
(Con información de AFP y AP)
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Senate Republicans are mulling whether to go nuclear after negotiations with Senate Democrats to ram through President Donald Trump’s nominees fell apart over the weekend.
The path to confirming dozens of Trump’s outstanding nominees was destroyed when the president accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of «political extortion,» and charged that the Democratic leader’s asking price for nominees was too high.
TRUMP TELLS SCHUMER TO ‘GO TO HELL’ OVER SENATE NOMINEE DEAL FUNDING DEMANDS AFTER NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE
Senate Republicans are mulling whether to go nuclear after negotiations with Senate Democrats to ram through President Donald Trump’s nominees fell apart over the weekend. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Now, lawmakers have left Washington without a deal to bundle dozens of nominees that made it through committee with bipartisan support, and a change to how the Senate handles the confirmation process is on the horizon.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., berated Schumer and Senate Democrats for their «unprecedented» blocks of the president’s nominees, and noted that every pick had been filibustered save for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who glided through the Senate earlier this year.
«We have been working through the list, but there is still a large backlog because of the unprecedented filibuster by the Democrats of every nominee,» Barrasso said. «And if they don’t change their behavior, we’re going to have to change how things are done here, because a president needs to have his or her team in place.»
DEMS DIG IN, TRUMP DEMANDS ALL: NOMINEE FIGHT BOILS OVER IN SENATE AS GOP LOOKS FOR A DEAL
Sen. John Barrasso speaks to reporters during the weekly luncheons on Capitol Hill on June 24, 2025. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Under normal circumstances, changing the rules in the Senate would require 67 votes, meaning that Senate Democrats would have to be on board with a change. However, there is a path that lawmakers refer to as the nuclear option, which allows for rules changes to only need a simple majority.
There is the political will among Republicans to change the rules, but doing so would open the door for Senate Democrats to do the same when they get into power once more.
«I think that way is going to happen anyways, because of what Schumer has done. He’s forced this, and it’s ridiculous that he’s doing this,» Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said. «And so, whatever, we’re at this point, and we’ll do, you know what they say, every action requires an equal [reaction], and that’s what we’re at right now.»
Some of the options on the table include shortening the debate time for nominees, getting rid of procedural votes for some lower-level nominees, grouping certain civilian nominees «en bloc» – something that is already done for military nominees – and, at the committee level, deciding whether to lower the number of nominees subject to the confirmation process.
GRIDLOCK CRUMBLES AS SENATE ADVANCES SPENDING BILLS IN RACE AGAINST SHUTDOWN
Senate Majority Leader John Thune pauses while speaking to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on July 1, 2025. (Getty Images/Andrwe Harnik)
Currently, over 1,200 positions go through Senate confirmation. Senate Republicans have been able to confirm over 130 of Trump’s picks so far, but had a loftier goal of doing at least 60 more before leaving town until September.
And there are over 140 nominees still pending on the Senate’s calendar.
«I think they’re desperately in need of change,» Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters. «I think that the last six months have demonstrated that this process, nominations, is broken. And so I expect there will be some good robust conversations about that.»
As to when lawmakers will try to run with a rules change is still in the air. The Senate is gone from Washington until early September and will return to a looming deadline to avert a partial government shutdown.
Before leaving town, the Senate did advance a trio of spending bills – a first in the upper chamber since 2018 – but those same bills are unlikely to pass muster in the House, given that they spend at higher levels than the ones greenlit by the House GOP.
Ramming a rules change through without Democrats could also come at a price for government funding negotiations. Schumer said a possible rules change would be a «huge mistake» for Republicans to do on their own.
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«Because when they go at it alone, they screw up for the American people and for themselves,» he said.
When asked if there were any possible rule changes that he and Senate Democrats could agree to, Schumer said, «We should be working together on legislation to get things done for the American people.»
«That’s the way to go, not changing the rules, because when they change the rules, they say, ‘Only we’re going to decide what’s good for the American people,’ and every time they do that, the American people lose,» Schumer said.
Still, Republicans were unhappy with the way negotiations devolved after days of back and forth.
«We actually, we wanted a deal,» Mullin said. «And these people deserve to be put in position… they’re going to say that we’re trying to do a nuclear option. The fact is, they – Schumer – went nuclear a long time.»
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