Topline
Members of the House Oversight Committee will meet privately next week with victims of Jeffrey Epstein, The Washington Post reported Friday, as Epstein’s victims and their attorneys have publicly lashed out against the Trump administration’s handling of the late financier’s case, including the DOJ’s recent interview with associate Ghislaine Maxwell and her subsequent transfer to a minimum-security prison.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to the media on July 24, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
Committee chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and other members of House Oversight are set to meet with some of Epstein’s victims on Tuesday, the Post reported citing anonymous sources, though it’s still unclear which victims may take part.
The House Oversight Committee is conducting a broader investigation into Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking and sexual abuse of more than 100 women, which has so far included subpoenaing the Justice Department for its files on Epstein, subpoenaing Epstein’s estate and calling for a variety of former government officials to testify.
Epstein victims and their attorneys have been broadly critical of the government’s handling of the case against him and the public demand for the government’s files on Epstein, accusing the Trump administration of continuing a government “cover-up” of the Epstein case and urging the DOJ to release its documents.
One anonymous victim called in a court filing for the government to “be completely transparent” and release the files in order to “be done with it and allow me/us to heal,” for instance, while attorney Jack Scarola told MSNBC that victims have repeatedly been “re-victimized” by the government’s “deception, delay and diversion.”
Victims have also been particularly critical of the DOJ’s interview with Maxwell, accusing her of lying to prosecutors by denying she took part in Epstein’s abuse, and the government’s decision to transfer her to a facility with minimal security following her testimony.
The House Oversight Committee has not yet responded to a request for comment.
What Does The House Oversight Committee’s Epstein Investigation Include?
The Justice Department started turning documents over to the House Oversight Committee last week, after the committee issued a broad subpoena for all the government’s documents and communications on Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell that are “further relating or referring to human trafficking, exploitation of minors, sexual abuse, or related activity.” The DOJ is providing documents to lawmakers in batches and the House Oversight Committee has confirmed to Forbes it intends to make the files public with redactions, though it’s unclear when. The committee has also subpoenaed officials to testify including former Attorneys General Alberto Gonzales, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Merrick Garland; former FBI Directors Robert Mueller and James Comey; and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton. Former U.S. attorney and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who made a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in 2007, is also now slated to be interviewed by the committee, after Democrats complained about lawmakers initially declining to subpoena him. The House Oversight Committee issued another subpoena to Epstein’s estate earlier this week for various documents including Epstein’s will, any non-disclosure agreements he executed and a “birthday book” that The Wall Street Journal reported contains a letter to Epstein from Trump. That subpoena has a deadline of Sept. 8.
Chief Critics
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have already complained about shortcomings with the GOP-controlled committee’s investigation, saying earlier this week that the first tranche of Epstein documents lawmakers received consisted of materials that were already largely public. Lawmakers have also taken issue with the DOJ sending documents in batches, saying in a statement that “late or partial disclosures won’t cut it” and questioning the DOJ’s motivations in delaying the files’ full release. “Once again, DOJ could release all of the files today,” Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said Monday. “What are they hiding?”
Key Background
Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges in 2019 and died in prison before he could be convicted, though his case has continued to be a source of fascination given the financier’s connections to numerous high-profile individuals. Interest in Epstein’s case has surged in recent months, after the DOJ released a memo saying it would not release any further documents related to Epstein—an about-face after officials previously promised they would. The memo sparked a massive backlash from even Trump’s base of supporters, prompting the DOJ to seek more limited moves like conducting an interview with Maxwell and unsuccessfully asking for grand jury materials relating to Epstein and Maxwell to be unsealed. The House Oversight Committee’s investigation is part of an effort by Democrats and some Republicans for transparency around the Epstein files in light of the DOJ’s refusal to release more information, with several GOP lawmakers joining with Democrats to approve the subpoenas for the government’s Epstein files. The reported meeting with victims is one of several major moves that lawmakers are expected to take related to Epstein when Congress returns from its August recess next week, as Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., also intend to call for a House vote on unsealing the Epstein files and forcing the Trump administration to make them public.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/08/29/house-members-will-meet-with-epstein-victims-next-week-report-says/
