A Home Oversight and Authorities Reform subcommittee voted Tuesday to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted intercourse offender and longtime affiliate of Jeffrey Epstein, because the Republicans on Capitol Hill push for the publication of extra info associated to Epstein’s case.
Throughout an unrelated subcommittee listening to, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) moved to direct the panel to authorize and subject a subpoena for Maxwell to look for a deposition, which handed by voice vote.
“Recently, Rep. Burchett sent a letter to Chairman Comer requesting a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony. In response, Chairman Comer directed Rep. Burchett to introduce a motion to subpoena Ms. Maxwell for a deposition, allowing the Committee to formally consider whether to proceed,” a spokesperson for the committee mentioned in an announcement.
“The Committee will seek to subpoena Ms. Maxwell as expeditiously as possible. Since Ms. Maxwell is in federal prison, the Committee will work with the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons to identify a date when Committee can depose her.”
The transfer by Burchett comes amid an outcry from Republicans over the Trump administration’s dealing with of the Epstein recordsdata — which has left the Home in disarray for the second consecutive week.
Its bipartisan passage can be an indication of Democratic strain on the subject. Home Oversight Republicans have quashed prior efforts by Democrats on the panel to subpoena varied figures. However the events banded collectively Tuesday over a shared curiosity in Maxwell.
“Oversight Democrats just unanimously voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s partner,” Home Oversight Democrats wrote on the social platform X after the vote.
“This is progress. We will not stop fighting until the Epstein Files are released. Trump and Bondi must stop blocking the American people from the truth.”
The Home Guidelines Committee met Monday to tee up a sequence of payments for consideration on the ground, however broke for the evening with out ending its work as Democrats threatened to stage one other vote on whether or not the chamber ought to convey a decision to the ground that may compel the discharge of the Epstein paperwork.
Republicans on the panel noticed the vote as an advanced one, caught between eager to help the publication of the supplies with placating President Trump, who has urged GOP lawmakers to drop the matter.
Guidelines Committee Republicans confronted the identical vote final week and rejected the modification, which prompted pushback from their constituents. Later within the week, the panel tried to calm the state of affairs by advancing a nonbinding decision calling for — however not legally requiring — the discharge of some Epstein recordsdata.
That effort has not utterly quelled the requires extra info on each side of the aisle.
In response to that strain, Justice Division management introduced Tuesday that it has begun to coordinate with Maxwell’s legal professional about establishing a gathering.
“This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead,” Deputy Legal professional Basic Todd Blanche mentioned in an announcement shared on X.
“President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,” he added.
“Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.”
An legal professional for Maxwell indicated an openness to talking with administration officers earlier than Burchett pushed for a subpoena.
“I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,” legal professional David Oscar Markus wrote on X.
