Rep. Robert Garcia, a top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, has pressed Chairman James Comer to call Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials to testify about how the White House handled the Epstein files controversy.
Garcia's request follows a New York Times report detailing internal turmoil within the Trump administration over the Epstein scandal. According to the Times, Vance warned fellow officials that the matter represented a "huge problem" and pushed for releasing all the files before Congress could advance the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The vice president argued this proactive approach would prevent the administration from being forced to disclose information later.
The Times reported that senior aides held a series of Situation Room meetings to address the growing crisis, frequently occurring without Trump's presence. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles reportedly felt Vance was exaggerating the significance of the controversy and believed he had "bought into the conspiracy theories."
Multiple officials participated in these meetings, including then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, now serving as acting attorney general, along with Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, White House Communications Director Steve Cheung, and others. Several attendees viewed the situation as a "PR disaster" and explored various possible responses, including controversial suggestions such as having Ghislaine Maxwell publicly defend Trump in a media interview.
The internal debate revealed that officials were heavily focused on concerns about losing support from core MAGA voters rather than worries about political opponents. The Times reported that numerous Trump administration officials had "grossly underestimated or simply been blind to" the appetite within the MAGA base for information about Epstein.
Tensions escalated after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had allegedly sent Epstein a birthday message in 2003 with an accompanying drawing. Trump denied the letter's authenticity and filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the newspaper. A Florida judge dismissed that suit in March, though Trump's legal team refiled it last month.
The fallout has proven costly for Republicans who advocated for releasing the files. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned in January after sustained criticism from Trump. Rep. Nancy Mace was defeated in her South Carolina primary earlier this week, attributing her loss to her position on Epstein file transparency. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a lifelong Republican who championed the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, was ousted by voters in favor of a Trump-endorsed challenger.
Congressional investigators have meanwhile gathered fresh testimony from people associated with Epstein, including his longtime executive assistant, Lesley Groff. The House Oversight Committee announced it would request that Alan Dershowitz, Epstein's former attorney, appear before the panel.