WASHINGTON — The House Oversight Committee plans to subpoena Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell "as expeditiously as possible," a committee spokesperson said.
The Trump administration is under growing pressure, some of it from allies of President Donald Trump, to release additional files related to Epstein. Epstein died in jail in 2019 awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, and his death has sparked conspiracy theories for years.
A House Oversight subcommittee on Tuesday without opposition approved a motion directing the committee chair, James Comer, to issue a subpoena for Maxwell. Only four members were present.
Comer, R-Ky., had directed Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., to introduce the motion after Burchett requested that the committee subpoena her. The motion allows "the Committee to formally consider whether to proceed," the committee spokesperson said.
"The Committee will seek to subpoena Ms. Maxwell as expeditiously as possible," the spokesperson said. "Since Ms. Maxwell is in federal prison, the Committee will work with the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons to identify a date when Committee can depose her."
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence in Florida after she was convicted of federal sex trafficking charges in 2021. She was accused of recruiting and grooming girls whom Epstein sexually abused.
Maxwell’s counsel and the Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the possible congressional testimony. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Earlier Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that he would reach out to Maxwell's counsel to determine whether she would be willing to speak with Justice Department prosecutors.
"President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence," Blanche said in a statement on X issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The statement said that if Maxwell had "information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say."
Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, confirmed Tuesday that his team was "in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully."
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that he was unaware of Blanche's plans but that he believed it would be "appropriate" for him to speak to Maxwell.
“I don’t know about it, but I think it’s something that would be, sounds appropriate to do,” Trump said as he took questions before a meeting with the president of the Philippines.
