The U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal puts House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) under new pressure in the committee's Jeffrey Epstein investigation, according to a new report.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the Oversight Committee's top Democrat, sent a letter Thursday demanding Comer schedule a long-promised deposition with the late Epstein's co-conspirator now that her Supreme Court appeal has been settled, reported NOTUS.
“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,” Garcia said in the letter. “Accordingly, and pursuant to the subpoena issued by this committee. I urge you to immediately schedule the deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) led the committee's effort to issue a subpoena to Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year conviction for sex trafficking underage girls, in July, after President Donald Trump's deputy attorney general and former defense attorney interviewed her in prison days before she was transferred to a minimum security prison.
Comer wrote in subpoena cover letter 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.”
However, the scheduled Aug. 11 deposition was paused at the request of Maxwell's attorneys until after the Supreme Court decided on her appeal, which the justices declined to hear earlier this week, and Trump left the door open to a pardon for his former associate when asked by a reporter.
“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.”
Garcia's letter to Comer indicated that he does not trust Republicans' commitment to fully investigating the Epstein case.
“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.
