10
Loading video...
By Gabe Whisnant
News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Republican Representatives Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Brian Jack of Georgia and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania sided with Democrats as a House subcommittee voted Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice for records related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.
Under committee rules, Republican House Oversight Chair James Comer must sign the subpoena before it can be formally issued.
Newsweek has reached out to Mace's office via email and called the offices of Jack and Perry on Wednesday night for comment.
Read More on Politics
Who Voted to Subpoena Epstein Files from the DOJ?
Just hours before the House was set to adjourn for its monthlong July recess, a federal law enforcement subcommittee of the powerful House Oversight Committee voted for the motion, introduced by Democrats. It passed in an 8-2 vote with the support of the three Republicans, along with the subpanel's four Democrats and Rep. Robert Garcia, the full committee's ranking member.
Mace posted on X, "We've just filed to redact the names of victims, any personally identifying information, and any CSAM (child sexual abuse material) in the Epstein files to protect the victims."
Later she posted, "Motion to subpoena in the Epstein case approved, 8–2."
Democrats made the motion in a calculated push to pressure GOP lawmakers into action, casting inaction as complicity with President Donald Trump. "If the Republican Party, if our colleagues on this committee don't join us in this vote, then what they're essentially doing is joining President Donald Trump in complicity," said Rep. Summer Lee, the Pennsylvania Democrat who introduced the motion, while speaking to reporters outside the hearing room.
...
Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican and the subcommittee's chair, acknowledged the vote's significance and said drafting of the subpoena had begun, though he noted it would take time for both parties to finalize the language.
"I've never handled a subpoena like this. This is some fascinating stuff," said Higgins, who voted against the motion, along with GOP Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona.
Meanwhile, Democrats ramped up their rhetoric, accusing Republican leadership of stonewalling transparency and abandoning promises of accountability.
"They're fleeing our work, our job and sending us back home because they don't want to vote to release these files," said Lee. "This is something that they ran on. This is something that they talked about: the importance of transparency, holding pedophiles accountable."
Democrats are framing the debate as part of a larger battle over the soul of government, especially as Congress prepares for a messaging war over Trump's sweeping tax and spending proposals.
"This goes to a fundamental sense of, 'Is our government co-opted by rich and powerful people that isn't looking out for ordinary Americans? Or can we have a government that looks out for ordinary Americans?'" said Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, who has introduced bipartisan legislation to force the DOJ to release the Epstein files.
Republican leaders, however, accuse Democrats of exploiting the issue for political gain and note that the investigation continued under President Joe Biden's Justice Department. Meanwhile, the Trump DOJ is also pushing for the release of testimony from secret grand jury proceedings, although that effort is unlikely to yield significant new revelations. A U.S. district judge in Florida denied a request from the Trump administration to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the Epstein case, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee, with bipartisan support, also approved a subpoena for a deposition from Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate. But some lawmakers cautioned against placing too much weight on her testimony.
"It's a good idea, but it's not enough. It's not nearly enough," said Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican backing the push for broader access to the records.
What are the Epstein Files?
The Epstein Files refer to a trove of documents tied to the federal investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier accused of operating a vast sex trafficking ring involving underage girls. These records include court filings, witness testimony, flight logs, grand jury materials, and sealed depositions—many of which remain hidden from the public. While some documents have been unsealed through lawsuits or released by investigative journalists, large portions of the case, particularly those held by the Department of Justice, remain classified or redacted.
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The New York City medical examiner ruled his death a suicide by hanging, though the circumstances sparked widespread speculation and controversy.
What to Know About Trump and the Epstein Files
President Trump's name has surfaced repeatedly in public discussions about the Epstein case, though he has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing. Trump and Epstein socialized in the 1990s and early 2000s, and their relationship has drawn renewed scrutiny as lawmakers seek to release government-held Epstein records.
A new Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday said that Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Trump that his name was mentioned in documents. The Journal's report cited senior administration officials who said Trump's name appeared "multiple" times in the Epstein files.
"The fact is that the President kicked him out of his [Mar-a-Lago] club for being a creep," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
"This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about," Cheung continued.
The president has filed a defamation suit against The Journal and Rupert Murdoch over an earlier story about an alleged birthday drawing by Trump for Epstein.
Tensions over the Epstein Files have escalated in Congress, where Democrats are pressuring Trump-aligned Republicans to support subpoenas for the records. House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far resisted advancing legislation to release the Epstein files. Earlier Wednesday, Johnson told reporters that legislative action was unnecessary because the Trump administration was "already doing everything within their power to release them."
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update: 7/23/25, 6:18 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Update: 7/23/25, 6:36 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Update: 7/23/25, 7:19 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
Correction, 05/27/26, 5:41 a.m. ET: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Donald Trump as “former president.” He was president at the time in question. The article has been updated.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines