Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday overtly questioned if Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted intercourse offender and longtime affiliate of Jeffrey Epstein, can be a reputable witness as some lawmakers and federal officers transfer to talk together with her amid the renewed concentrate on Epstein.
The feedback got here in the future after a Home Oversight and Authorities Reform subcommittee voted to subpoena Maxwell to have her seem for a deposition. Additionally on Tuesday, a senior official on the Division of Justice (DOJ) reached out to Maxwell’s attorneys about organising a gathering together with her.
Johnson, nevertheless, is questioning if Maxwell would supply truthful testimony.
“I fully support my committee chairs, Jamie Comer is a trusted friend, he’s an excellent chairman of the Oversight Committee, and he has a duty and responsibility to follow the truth where it leads,” Johnson stated when requested if he helps the panel’s transfer. “And so every single one of us are for maximum transparency, and we’ll use every power that we have to ensure that that’s done. If they see fit to bring in Ghislaine Maxwell for testimony, that’s fine.”
“I will note the obvious concern, the caveat that Chairman Comer and I and everyone has that, can she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?” he added. “I mean, this is a person who’s been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts. Acts against innocent young people.”
He continued, asking: “Can we trust what she’s gonna say, even if she raises her hand and says that she’ll testify under oath?”
“Is that something that can be trusted? You know, that’s a reasonable question. Is that credible evidence?” he added. “I don’t know, but we’ll have to see. We have to, you know, uncover everything that we can and let the American people evaluate.”
Maxwell was sentenced to twenty years in jail in June 2022 after being discovered responsible of conspiracy to entice minors to journey to interact in unlawful intercourse acts, conspiracy to move minors to take part in unlawful intercourse acts, transporting a minor to take part in unlawful intercourse acts, intercourse trafficking conspiracy and intercourse trafficking of a minor.
Johnson’s feedback come because the Republican Celebration stays at odds over the Trump administration’s dealing with of the Epstein case, which has roiled Capitol Hill for 2 weeks and prompted Johnson to ship lawmakers house for the prolonged August recess a day early.
Democrats and a lot of Republicans are demanding the discharge of all of the Epstein information, requesting transparency within the case that has been a topic of dialog and conspiracies for years. Trump, in the meantime, has tried to tamp down the controversy.
In an indication of the fracturing, the Home got here to a partial standstill this week and final week as lawmakers tried to pressure a vote to compel the administration to publish the paperwork.
Democrats on the Home Guidelines Committee deliberate to pressure a vote on a bipartisan decision — led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — this week, however Republicans, involved about voting down the measure, as is customary for members of the bulk when going through a measure led by the minority celebration, stated they might not achieve this.
That got here after Republicans on the panel opposed the same measure final week, prompting severe pushback from constituents at house. Consequently, Republicans on the Guidelines Committee superior a non-binding decision final week calling for the discharge of some data from the case.
Democrats, nevertheless, are nonetheless urgent for a vote on the bipartisan measure, resulting in this week’s standstill and stopping the Home from voting on any laws via common order. As an alternative, the chamber is processing non-controversial laws via the fast-track suspension of the foundations course of.
Amid the freeze, Republicans are trying different avenues to get data. On Tuesday, throughout an unrelated listening to for an Oversight subcommittee, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) moved to direct the panel to authorize and situation a subpoena for Maxwell to look for a deposition, which handed by voice vote.
Johnson on Tuesday defended his dealing with of the scenario, telling reporters: “No one in Congress is blocking Epstein documents.”
“No one in Congress is doing that,” he added. “What we are doing here, Republicans are preventing Democrats from making a mockery of the Rules Committee process because we refuse to engage in their political charade. That is what is happening and nothing more.”
