Republicans help U.S. House subcommittee pass vote to subpoena Epstein files
A Florida judge earlier denied Trump administration's bid to unseal grand jury documents
A U.S. House oversight subcommittee voted Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice for files in the sex-trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Three Republicans on the panel — Nancy Mace, Scott Perry and Brian Jack — voted with Democrats for the subpoena, sending it through on an 8-2 vote tally. The Republican subcommittee chair, Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, said that work was beginning to draft the subpoena but did not give a timeline for when it would be issued.
"I've never handled a subpoena like this. This is some fascinating stuff," said Higgins, who voted against the motion.
Democrats cheered the action as proof that their push for disclosures in the Epstein investigation was growing stronger.
The committee agreed to redact information on victims, yet Democrats successfully blocked a push by Republicans to only subpoena information that was deemed to be "credible" — language that Trump has also used when discussing what he would support releasing.
The victims in the Epstein files deserve justice. <br><br>Let’s do this the right way: verified documents, protected identities, and credible process. In a case like this, credibility is everything. <a href="https://t.co/mncIMi43fM">pic.twitter.com/mncIMi43fM</a>
—@RepNancyMaceThe vote came just hours before the House of Representatives was scheduled to end its July work session and depart Washington for a month-long break.
The House committee on oversight also issued a subpoena Wednesday for Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex offender and girlfriend of the late Epstein, to testify before committee officials in August.
House Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned major business in the House ahead of Congress's August recess to avoid contentious votes on Epstein-related matters as the Trump administration faces intense public pressure to release more information about the sexual predator.
Johnson told reporters earlier Wednesday there was no need to vote on legislation calling for the release of the Epstein files this week because the Trump administration is "already doing everything within their power to release them."
Yet as furor has grown on the right over the Trump administration's reversal on promises related to Epstein, with several Democrats seizing on the opportunity to divide Republicans on the issue.
"This goes to a fundamental sense of, 'Is our government co-opted by rich and powerful people that [aren't] looking out for ordinary Americans?'" said Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who had put forward a bipartisan bill meant to force the release of the files.
Earlier Wednesday, a judge rejected a Trump administration request to unseal transcripts from grand jury investigations of Epstein years ago in Florida, though a similar records request is pending in New York.
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach, Fla., said the request to release grand jury documents from 2005 and 2007 did not meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them public.
The Justice Department last week asked the judge to release records to quell a storm among supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump who believe there was a conspiracy to protect Epstein's clients, and conceal videos of crimes being committed and other evidence.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump his name was among many high-profile figures mentioned in the files.
"We need to bring Bondi and [FBI Director Kash] Patel into the judiciary committee to testify about this now," Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said in response to the report in a video posted on X.
Trump, stung and frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein story, has sought to divert attention to other topics, including unfounded accusations that former president Barack Obama undermined Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump's personal ties to Epstein are well-established and his name is already known to have been included in records related to the wealthy financier, though the mention does not imply wrongdoing.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung on Wednesday said the reports were "nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media."
The Justice Department declined to comment on the Wall Street Journal's report but issued a joint statement from Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche saying "nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution."
In 2008, Epstein cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida, pleading guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution. That allowed him to avoid federal prosecution and a possible life sentence.
Instead he served 13 months in a work-release program. He was required to make payments to victims and register as a sex offender.
Conspiracy theories continue
The wealthy financier later was arrested in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell was also charged with helping him abuse teenage girls.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month after he was arrested. Investigators concluded he killed himself.
Epstein's death also led to some of the biggest conspiracy theories animating Trump's base.
Maxwell was later convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The case attracted attention because of Epstein and Maxwell's links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires.