House Oversight votes to subpoena DOJ, subcommittee votes to subpoena Clintons over Epstein files

The House Committee on Oversight voted Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice for documents related to its sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. A House Oversight panel subcommittee voted to subpoena Bill and Hillary Clinton to find out what they know about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The motion to subpoena the former First Couple was introduced by Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. This comes as another House Committee has determined to depose Maxwell on August 11 at the Tallahassee prison where she is serving 20 years for her role in Epstein's alleged sex trafficking scheme.

In his 2024 book, former President Bill Clinton said of Epstein "I wish I had never met him." He added that the time spent on Epstein's plane, dubbed the Lolita Express, was "not worth the years of questioning afterward."

The Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for the DOJ after a motion was introduced during an afternoon session just hours before lawmakers adjourn for July recess. While the subpoena’s language is still being finalized, Republican Subcommittee Chairman Clay Higgins confirmed that work was already underway to draft the request.

Democratic Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania introduced the motion and later told reporters, “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.” Three Republicans joined Democrats in the 8-2 vote for the subpoena, with only Higgins and Rep. Andy Biggs voting against it.

The vote came as House Speaker Mike Johnson has pushed back against calls to pursue Epstein-related legislation. Earlier in the day, Johnson told reporters that a vote on legislation calling for the release of Epstein case files was unnecessary, saying the Trump administration is “already doing everything within their power to release them.”

Democrats have seized on the opportunity to use the Epstein issue to cast Republicans as unwilling to fully expose the details of the case.

“They’re fleeing our work, our job and sending us back home because they don’t want to vote to release these files,” Rep. Lee said, according to the Associated Press. “This is something that they ran on. This is something that they talked about: the importance of transparency, holding pedophiles accountable.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries added,  “Why haven’t Republicans released the Epstein files to the American people? It’s reasonable to conclude that Republicans are continuing to protect the lifestyles of the rich and the shameless, even if that includes pedophiles.”

Republican lawmakers have pushed back, accusing Democrats of politicizing the issue. GOP members noted that the DOJ maintained control of the Epstein investigation throughout President Joe Biden’s term. 

Trump’s Justice Department is now seeking the release of testimony from Epstein’s secret grand jury proceedings. Additionally, on Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee advanced a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell to give a deposition.