NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The top ranking official of the GOP-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has subpoenaed a longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein as the battle for the release of information regarding the deceased pedophile’s alleged clients rages.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the committee, announced Wednesday that convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has been subpoenaed for a deposition in the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida, where she is serving a 20-year sentence.
The deposition is scheduled for Aug. 11.
Photo composite showing a courtroom sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell during her sex abuse trial in December 2021, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
JEFFREY EPSTEIN CASE REOPENS FOCUS ON GHISLAINE MAXWELL AS DEPUTY AG STEPS IN
“While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to your and Mr. Epstein’s cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr. Epstein,” Comer wrote in a letter to Maxwell.
“In particular, the Committee seeks your 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,” the letter says.
On Wednesday, a federal judge denied Maxwell’s requests to review the grand jury transcripts that led to her indictment, saying that it was “black-letter law” that defendants are not entitled to access to grand jury information.
House Oversight and Accountability Committee chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
EPSTEIN’S FORMER LAWYER: GHISLAINE MAXWELL SHOULD GET IMMUNITY IN EXCHANGE FOR SECRETS
A separate federal judge on Wednesday also denied a Trump administration request to release grand jury transcripts in the investigation and eventual indictment of Epstein.
The flurry of moves comes amid a call for greater transparency into Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring after the Trump administration announced that an Epstein “client list” did not exist, and attempted to close the matter, causing an uproar from his supporters.
On Feb. 21, Attorney General Pamela Bondi told “America Reports” host John Roberts that she was in possession of the “client list.”
“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” she said at the time. “That’s been a directive by President Trump.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice is suing the state of Minnesota for allowing illegal immigrants to get free or reduced in-state tuition, which is not afforded to all U.S. citizens. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Maxwell was found guilty of five federal charges in 2021, including sex trafficking of a minor.
Epstein was indicted by a New York grand jury in 2019 on sex trafficking charges, but died by suicide in his jail cell shortly thereafter.
Fox News’ Daniel Scully contributed to this report.