House Panel Defies Trump in Vote to Subpoena Epstein Files

The House Oversight Committee is preparing to subpoena the Justice Department for its files related to the sex trafficking investigation into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, after three Republicans broke with their party to join Democrats to vote on the matter. In an 8-to-2 vote late Wednesday, the panel’s Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee approved the motion to compel the release of records, a rare moment of bipartisan agreement regarding an investigation that has long been shrouded in mystery. The vote came amid a tense week in which Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly announced he was sending lawmakers home a day early for its five-week recess—an apparent move to avoid precisely this kind of politically fraught vote involving Epstein. But Oversight Committee Democrats, led by Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, put together a last-minute effort to force Republicans to go on the record. Joining Democrats in the vote were GOP Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, and Brian Jack of Georgia. Subcommittee Chairman Clay Higgins of Louisiana and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona were the only no votes. The subpoena directs the Justice Department to hand over investigative materials, with redactions to protect victims’ identities and exclude any imagery depicting child sexual abuse. The documents would be reviewed by the committee internally, not released publicly. “The American people deserve transparency and accountability,” Lee wrote on X, “and [Epstein’s] victims deserve justice. The wealthy and powerful are not above the law.” The committee also issued subpoenas for a deposition from Ghislaine Maxwell—Epstein’s longtime confidante who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking—and requested testimony from a sweeping list of political and law enforcement figures. Among them: former President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump’s former attorneys general, as well as former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller. While Trump has long been at the center of Epstein-related speculation, he has recently tried to distance himself from the issue, dismissing the continued focus on Epstein as “bulls—.” On the campaign trail, Trump and his surrogates previously claimed they would be willing to investigate Epstein’s “client list,” but later resisted formal efforts to obtain more information. The issue has sharply divided Republicans. Some of Trump’s most vocal allies accuse his Administration of falling short of its promises, while others fear the files include damaging disclosures involving Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in Department of Justice documents about Epstein, citing senior Administration officials. House Democratic leaders have seized on the internal rift. “Speaker Johnson is definitely facilitating a cover up of epic proportions by shutting down Congress early to avoid voting on the Epstein files,” Rep. Ted Lieu of California, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, tells TIME. “And we know Trump is all over the released Epstein files, and now we know he’s all over the unreleased Epstein files, so Speaker Johnson should listen to the will of the American people instead of covering up for Donald Trump.” Even some Republicans who supported the subpoena effort tried to narrow its scope. Rep. Mace successfully added language requiring the Justice Department to include any communications with former President Joe Biden about Epstein and to shield the identities of victims. Democrats, however, blocked a GOP attempt to limit the subpoena to only information deemed “credible.” The Justice Department has said it continues to review files from the Epstein investigation but maintains that no “client list” has been found and that there is no credible evidence Epstein blackmailed powerful individuals.