House Committee Approves to Subpoena the Justice Department for Files on Jeffrey Epstein
A Republican-led House subcommittee approved a Democratic motion to subpoena the Justice Department for files on Jeffrey Epstein.
A House subcommittee voted Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice to hand over files from the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
This and other subpoenas related to the case were approved after Democratic legislation successfully galvanized Republicans to defy President Donald Trump and the GOP leadership to support the action.
The bipartisan vote showed the growing pressure for information about the Epstein investigation, even as House Speaker Mike Johnson, caught between Trump's demands and his own members' clamor for the House to act, sent lawmakers home a day before their August recess to avoid a vote on the matter.
The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday also issued a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex offender and girlfriend of the late Epstein, to testify before committee officials in August.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom, and sexually abuse underage girls.
The federal law enforcement subcommittee also approved a motion to subpoena several high-profile Democratic officials, including former President Bill Clinton, to testify.
The panel approved the motion regarding Epstein's case files, filed by Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) in a vote of 8-2, with Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (SC), Scott Perry (PA), and Brian Jack (Georgia) joining Democrats in favor.
"Let's be clear: This is a huge victory for the American people. The public deserves to know who was complicit in Epstein's heinous crimes, including people with immense power in our government. Today's vote was just the first step toward accountability, and we will continue to fight for the truth," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The vote showed the growing pressure for information about the Epstein investigation, even as House Speaker Mike Johnson, caught between Trump's demands and clamoring from his own members for the House to act, sent lawmakers home a day early from their August recess. Many of the Republican members of the House Oversight Subcommittee House Committee on Federal Law Enforcement struggled after years of vocally championing transparency around Epstein. Democrats have eagerly seized every opportunity to try to force their Republican colleagues into painful votes on the issue.