This is Fresh Air. I'm Tanya Mosley. Two days ago, Galane Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime associate,

and the woman convicted of helping him recruit, sexually abuse, and traffic teenage girls,

appeared on a screen from a federal prison camp in Texas before the House Oversight Committee.

She said nothing at the closed-door session, invoking the Fifth Amendment.

But through her attorney, she made an offer, give me clemency, and I'll talk.

Maxwell isn't the only witness being called before the committee.

In the coming weeks, they plan to hear from Les Wexner, the billionaire who gave Epstein

control of his fortune,

former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as Epstein's

accountant and his lawyer. And for the first time, members of Congress have access to a secure

room at the Department of Justice to read the unredacted Epstein files.

Those documents, totaling more than 3 million pages, are the largest release of Epstein-related

files to date. They include private emails, a draft indictment that was never filed,

an FBI diagram mapping his network, photographs, and the unredacted names of victims,

including minors. And yet the Justice Department says its review is complete. No further prosecutions

are expected. My guest today is investigative journalist and author Vicky Ward.

She was one of the first reporters to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's world in 2003 for Vanity Fair.

She later said the most disturbing allegations she uncovered were never published because they were cut by her editor.

And those newly released government files, Wart also found a document of Epstein trying to discredit her, confirming what she's been saying for 23 years. Our interview was

recorded yesterday. And Vicki Ward, welcome to fresh air. Thank you so much for having me.

Well, thank you for being here. And I want to actually

start with what happened on Monday. So Galane Maxwell, as expected, invoked the Fifth Amendment.

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