House GOP will subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell to testify before Congress

A House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on Tuesday voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex offender and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, as Republicans intensify efforts to force the release of more information tied to Epstein’s case.

The move came during an unrelated subcommittee hearing, when Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) introduced a motion directing the panel to authorize and issue a subpoena for Maxwell to appear for a deposition. The motion was adopted by voice vote.

“Recently, Rep. Burchett sent a letter to Chairman Comer requesting a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony. In response, Chairman Comer directed Rep. Burchett to introduce a motion to subpoena Ms. Maxwell for a deposition, allowing the Committee to formally consider whether to proceed,” a spokesperson for the committee said in a statement.

The spokesperson added:

“The Committee will seek to subpoena Ms. Maxwell as expeditiously as possible. 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.”

Bipartisan pressure builds

Burchett’s move arrives as pressure builds over the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files, a controversy that has led to growing disorder in the House for the second week in a row.

Though the GOP-led committee has historically resisted Democratic attempts to subpoena key figures in the case, Tuesday’s bipartisan vote underscores a growing consensus around the need for more transparency. After the vote, House Oversight Democrats took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their support:

“Oversight Democrats just unanimously voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s partner,” the post read.
“This is progress. We will not stop fighting until the Epstein Files are released. Trump and Bondi must stop blocking the American people from the truth.”

Legislative agenda stalls over Epstein fallout

Meanwhile, chaos continues in the House. On Monday, the House Rules Committee convened to advance several pieces of legislation to the floor, but adjourned for the night without finishing its business. Democrats threatened to force a vote on whether the chamber should bring a resolution to the floor compelling the release of Epstein-related documents.

The delay marked another legislative setback as tensions escalate around the handling of the sex trafficking case, which has remained a lightning rod for public outrage and political scrutiny since Epstein’s death in a New York jail cell in 2019.