Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are calling on Republicans to compel Justice Department leaders to testify about their handling of matters related to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Their demand, which House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is unlikely to entertain, follows the DOJ’s announcement that there was no credible evidence of a “client list” or that Epstein blackmailed powerful people to whom he trafficked women. The issue has united an unlikely coalition of broad swaths of President Donald Trump’s base and Democrats, who are pushing for greater transparency from the administration.
Judiciary Democrats want Jordan to invite, or if necessary subpoena, four DOJ officials to testify: attorney general Pam Bondi, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche, FBI director Kash Patel and deputy FBI director Dan Bongino. Jordan has broad subpoena power as committee chair.
“We write to request that the Committee on the Judiciary quickly conduct a bipartisan hearing on the Trump Administration’s recent handling of the Jeffrey Epstein matter,” the Democrats wrote. “The Trump DOJ and FBI’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein matter, and President Trump’s suddenly shifting positions, have not restored anyone’s trust in the government but have rather raised profound new questions about their own conduct while increasing public paranoia related to the investigation.
Without a majority in Congress, Democrats have floundered in their efforts to compel further disclosures from the Trump administration. In one unsuccessful vote, a Republican — Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina — sided with Democrats on the House Rules Committee Monday to allow a floor vote on a measure that would force the release of Epstein-related materials.
