In a sudden twist, House Republicans voted to subpoena the Justice Department for Jeffrey Epstein files, creating a major rift within the party as Democrats exploit the controversy to embarrass GOP leadership.
The investigation of disgraced billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the files connecting him to some of the global elite has fascinated the public for years — and their inaccessibility has been a constant source of frustration for those who want justice.
The House Oversight subcommittee voted 8-2 to subpoena the Justice Department for all records related to the Epstein investigation after Democratic Rep. Summer Lee forced the vote. Three Republicans joined with Democrats to approve the subpoena despite Johnson’s efforts to shut down the issue.
Conservative Reps. Nancy Mace, Scott Perry and Brian Jack broke with the establishment to vote with the subcommittees four Democrats.
House Oversight Chair James Comer must sign the subpoena before it can officially be issued.
“I just think it’s important that the American people know what’s occurred,” Perry said. When pressed about Trump’s calls to move on from the Epstein scandal, Perry said he has been “very clear on my opinion on this issue for a long time.”
The subpoena calls for DOJ files with victim names redacted, communications between former Biden officials and the Justice Department about Epstein, and depositions from Bill and Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has attempted to kill efforts to release Epstein information, sending lawmakers home early this week after it became clear the issue would not disappear. Republicans recessed a House Rules Committee meeting Monday evening when Democrats prepared to force a vote on releasing the files.
“We’re not going to play political games with this,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday. “We want any individual who has been involved in any way in the Epstein evils to be brought to justice as quickly as possible.”
A July 6 Justice Department memo claimed that Epstein killed himself in jail and had no “client list” of powerful friends who participated in crimes against young girls.
President Donald Trump has called the Epstein controversy a “hoax” and criticized those who remain fixated on the issue. However, Attorney General Pam Bondi previously told “America Reports” in February that she had the Epstein client list.
“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review. That’s been a directive by President Trump,” Bondi claimed.
The Trump administration has taken recent steps to increase transparency, asking a federal judge to release grand jury testimony in cases against both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. However, a federal judge denied that request Wednesday.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced he reached out to Maxwell’s legal team and intends to meet with her “in the coming days” to “hear what she has to say.” Maxwell’s attorney confirmed talks with the Justice Department are underway.
Comer separately subpoenaed Maxwell for a deposition scheduled for August 11 at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for the international sex trafficking of minors.
“While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to your and Mr. Epstein’s cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr. Epstein,” Comer wrote.
“In particular, the Committee seeks your testimony to inform the consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.”
Former Epstein attorney Alan Dershowitz has claimed Maxwell “knows everything” about Epstein’s crimes, describing her as the “Rosetta Stone” of the case. Maxwell was convicted on five federal charges in 2021 including sex trafficking of a minor.
The House subpoena would force the Justice Department to potentially turn over far more files than were presented to the grand jury.
Democrats have seized on the controversy to force Republicans into difficult political positions while Trump attempts to move on from the matter.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges but died under mysterious circumstances inside his Manhattan jail cell on August 10 of that year, right before he was set to take the stand.