California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, demanded in a letter Thursday that committee Chair James Comer schedule a deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell following the Supreme Court’s rejection of an appeal of her criminal sex-trafficking conviction.
The letter, first obtained by NOTUS, comes as Democrats on the Oversight panel seek more details about President Donald Trump’s reported ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom the president has distanced himself from. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for charges related to the sex-trafficking of minors. Trump declined to rule out pardoning her on Wednesday.
“Maxwell’s crimes and her central role in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation position her as a critical witness with knowledge relevant and fundamental to this Committee’s investigation,” the letter reads.
“Accordingly, and pursuant to the subpoena issued by this committee,” the letter continued, “I urge you to immediately schedule the deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell.”
The letter is the latest Democratic effort to pressure Republicans to take action on Epstein, even with the ongoing government shutdown.
“Just this week, Donald Trump said he would ‘take a look’ at a pardon for Maxwell, which is disgusting and shameful,” Garcia said in a statement to NOTUS. “The Supreme Court was right to reject her latest attempt to avoid accountability, and now, she must face us for questioning.”
The House Oversight panel has led much of the congressional action on Epstein, including releasing a birthday note that Trump allegedly sent Epstein, which included the drawing of a naked woman. The White House has said Trump “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.” Most recently, the committee Democrats released documents related to Epstein that came from a round of files they received in response to the panel’s August subpoena of the Epstein estate.
A spokesperson for Comer said they would likely be able to schedule the Maxwell deposition and would have an update on when “soon.”
“Soon after the Supreme Court denied Ms. Maxwell’s appeal, committee staff contacted her attorneys about scheduling her deposition. We should have an update soon. This is another attempt by Ranking Member Garcia to create drama where none exists.”
Garcia’s letter comes as Democratic scrutiny of House Republicans’ handling of documents relating to Epstein is at a high. Democrats have hammered Republicans for refusing to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva during the shutdown. She would provide the final necessary signature on a discharge petition to compel a House vote that would force the Department of Justice to release all Epstein-related documents.
The Oversight panel issued a subpoena for Maxwell, led by Republican Rep. Tim Burchett, in July for an Aug. 11 deposition. In the subpoena cover letter, Comer wrote that the committee sought Maxwell’s testimony “to inform the consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.”
“I hope that you will stand by your statements and uphold the Committee’s commitment to transparency and to the victims of Epstein’s horrific abuse,” Garcia wrote in the letter to Comer.
Scheduling the deposition stalled after Comer issued the subpoena, however. In late July, Maxwell’s attorneys requested a delay of the deposition until after the result of her appeal with the Supreme Court, which the committee granted. Following the Supreme Court’s rejection of the appeal, Garcia is now pressing Comer to schedule Maxwell’s deposition.
This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS — a publication from the nonpartisan Allbritton Journalism Institute — and NEWSWELL, home of Times of San Diego, Santa Barbara News-Press and Stocktonia.
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