Democrats on House oversight panel call for hearing with Epstein victims
Source: Spectrum News NY1
PUBLISHED 1:55 PM ET Aug. 08, 2025
WASHINGTON — Nearly all Democrats on the House Oversight Committee signed onto a new request for the panel to hold a hearing giving victims of Jeffrey Epstein the chance to share their stories as the push on Capitol Hill for more information on the convicted sex offender and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, carries on. The Democrats made the appeal for the hearing in a letter sent to the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., on Thursday.
The group argued that even if the full files on Epstein are released — as many are pushing for — firsthand accounts from survivors of the abuse “may not be sufficiently represented in the Department of Justice’s records.” Such documents, they later added, “will not tell the full story.” “If we are to hold powerful people to account, our investigation must center on the voices they tried to silence,” the House Democrats wrote.
“To ensure that our investigation is comprehensive and credible, we urge the Committee to allow survivors the opportunity to provide their testimony if they wish to do so.” The group also made the case that such a hearing would be essential given the panel’s request for testimony directly from Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein’s decadelong effort to sexually exploit and abuse minors. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
“Furthermore, hearing Maxwell’s testimony, while ignoring those who were abused, would only contribute to more pain for survivors, more misinformation for the public, and a failure of this Committee’s responsibility to pursue truth," the lawmakers wrote. The House Democrats said some victims have “expressed a clear willingness and desire to come before Congress.”
Read more: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/watertown/news/2025/08/08/democrats-on-house-oversight-panel-call-for-hearing-with-epstein-victims-comer-letter
Link to LETTER (PDF) - https://pressley.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pressley-Oversight-Dems-Letter-to-Chairman-Comer-on-Survivors-of-Epstein-Abuse.pdf
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