WALL OF SILENCE

Victims' fury as Ghislaine Maxwell prepares to plead the fifth before Congress

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

VICTIMS of Ghislaine Maxwell say the child sex trafficker will "let the truth rot in the dark" when she stays silent before Congress.

The socialite, who groomed women and girls for her paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein, is due to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on February 9.

Her lawyers have indicated she intends to "plead the Fifth" and exercise her right to silence.

A lawyer for victims argued Maxwell, 64, who is serving a 20-year sentence, should never be released.

And others fear her silence is part of her bid to win a pardon from another of Epstein's friends, US President Donald Trump.

One victim, now a mum-of-two, said: "Ghislaine knows exactly what she did and who she protected.

"Every time she hides behind silence, she's choosing powerful men over the children she helped abuse.

"Pleading the Fifth isn't about justice; it's about saving herself and letting the truth rot in the dark.