A House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on Wednesday approved several subpoenas, including one directing the Department of Justice to turn over materials relating to the Epstein files.
The federal law enforcement subcommittee also approved a motion to subpoena several high-profile Democratic officials, including former President Clinton, for their testimony.
The panel approved the Epstein motion, offered by Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), in an 8-2 vote, with Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Scott Perry (Pa.) and Brian Jack (Ga.) joining Democrats in favor.
Lee’s motion called for the “full, complete, unredacted Epstein files to be delivered concurrently to the majority and minority.”
“Today, Oversight Democrats fought for transparency and accountability on the Epstein files and won. House Republicans didn’t make it easy, but the motion was finally passed to force the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement.
“Let’s be clear: this is a huge win for the American people. The public deserves to know who was complicit in Epstein’s heinous crimes, including people with immense power in our government. Today’s vote was just the first step toward accountability, and we will continue pushing for the truth.”
An amendment to Lee’s motion from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) to include the release of all communications between President Biden or Biden administration officials and the Department of Justice related to Jeffrey Epstein was adopted by voice vote. And an amendment from Mace to redact the names of victims and any personally identifiable information of victims, as well as any possible material depicting child abuse, was also adopted by voice vote.
The committee also approved by voice vote a motion from Perry to “expand the full committee’s investigation” into the Epstein matter by also issuing subpoenas to a number of high-profile former Democratic officials: Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller.
Perry’s motion also called to subpoena three former GOP officials: Attorney General Bill Barr and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who served under President Trump; and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.
The motions for subpoenas come after the full Oversight Committee on Tuesday approved a subpoena for Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in prison for aiding Epstein in child sex trafficking. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) officially issued that subpoena on Wednesday.
The flurry of subpoenas comes as House GOP leaders moved to send members home for August recess a day early after disputes about the Epstein matter — and an unwillingness to face Democratic votes trying to squeeze Republicans on the Epstein issue in the House Rules Committee — stymied the House.
But Democrats are seeing success in getting Republican support for their Epstein-related amendments in the Oversight panel.
