Politics
JUST IN: Oversight Approves Motion To Subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Opening Epstein Floodgates
Republicans on the U.S. House Oversight Committee approved a motion to hit Ghislaine Maxwell with a subpoena, opening the floodgates to a congressional investigation into the government’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.
The Tuesday vote came after Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN) introduced a motion to bring Maxwell in for questioning under oath about her relationship to the late pedophile, who died in 2019 while in jail awaiting trial. Maxwell was convicted on similar human trafficking charges in 2022 and is serving a 20-year sentence.
Much of what Maxwell may have to reveal could be shared soon with Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said on Tuesday that he will “soon” visit with the prisoner to learn what else she may know about Epstein and whether an alleged “client list” of other sexual offenders ever existed.
Blanche and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi are under tremendous pressure to shed new light on the investigation after Bondi backtracked from an initial promise to release more documents in the case. She has since claimed that no client list ever existed and that future disclosures may harm victims and innocent parties.
Now, the Oversight Committee and its chair, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), will get another chance to investigate after Maxwell teased new information about Epstein and his alleged involvement with powerful individuals, including Bill Gates, former President Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew.
Last week, Epstein’s mistress saw her plea for freedom in exchange for new information rejected by the U.S. Justice Department, which opposed her motion for a reduced sentence.
Comer, through a spokesman, told Axios he and Burchett are working to bring Maxwell before the committee “as expeditiously as possible.” He added that he has not spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) about the matter.
“She’s the last one standing. There’s nobody else alive that can tell us anything … I’d like to get her there before she’s allowed to commit suicide as well. I’m just tired of it,” Burchett told reporters following his letter sent to Comer last week requesting a subpoena of Maxwell.
He said Maxwell may be able to “tell us the operation, how it went down, who were the supporters of it … ultimately I’d like to see justice.”
“I have not spoken to Trump about it at all,” Burchett added. “He has my number. I have his.”
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, spent the weekend working to redirect his supporters’ anger about the case toward Democrats and the Wall Street Journal, which published a damning report last Thursday alleging he sent Epstein a lewd birthday card in 2003. On Monday, the White House pulled the paper’s press credentials for Trump’s visit to Scotland.
Still, it’s clear Trump feels the need to hand his supporters some sort of appeasement. On Friday, he directed Bondi to pursue the release of evidence presented during a grand jury investigation of Epstein leading up to his 2019 arrest. Bondi must now appeal to a federal judge, who will decide whether the evidence can be disclosed without damaging the lives of witnesses, victims, and bystanders in Epstein’s orbit.