Ghislaine Maxwell's trial begins today. Here's what the defense will likely argue

Opening statements begin today in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is charged with sex trafficking underage girls for her friend, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, to sexually abuse.

NPR's Jasmine Garsd joined Morning Edition to lay out what to expect from the start of the much-anticipated trial. Listen here.

Maxwell faces six federal charges of sex trafficking. She's accused of grooming underage girls between the mid-'90s and early 2000s, offering them expensive trips and gifts and then exploiting them. She's also accused of participating in the abuse in some instances. Maxwell maintains she's innocent.

She's charged with trafficking the girls for abuse by Epstein, who died in a federal detention center in 2019 while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide.

If convicted, Maxwell could be sentenced to up to 70 years in prison.

The defense is likely to argue that there's no way for Maxwell to get a fair trial; that she is, in essence, being tried for Epstein's crimes, according to Garsd.