A gaggle of Democrats is asking for a congressional listening to with the victims of convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein and his affiliate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who they argue have firsthand accounts that “is probably not sufficiently represented within the Division of Justice’s information.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), a member of the Home Oversight Committee, led a bunch of Democrats on the panel, together with rating member Robert Garcia (Calif.) and Reps. Jasmine Crockett (Texas), Ro Khanna (Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and others, in calling on Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) to carry a listening to.
“If we’re to carry highly effective individuals to account, our investigation should heart the voices they tried to silence,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote in their letter. “To make sure that our investigation is complete and credible, we urge the Committee to permit survivors the chance to offer their testimony if they need to take action.”
The lawmakers argued that the victims, who suffered abuse from Epstein, are left with deep trauma that deserves to be heard, noting that “releasing the total, unredacted Epstein recordsdata is not going to inform the total story,” in response to a press launch from Pressley’s workplace.
It added that “listening to testimony from Maxwell, an unreliable and untrustworthy co-conspirator, whereas ignoring those that have been abused, will solely contribute to extra ache for survivors and extra misinformation for the general public.”
“If the Committee is to conduct credible oversight, it should hear straight from survivors, or their representatives, who volunteer to advance our investigation on their very own phrases,” the lawmakers stated within the letter. “Some survivors have expressed a transparent willingness and want to return earlier than Congress, and the Committee can not meet their energy and bravado with inaction.”
The Home Oversight Committee has issued various subpoenas related to the Epstein case, together with to Maxwell for a deposition earlier than the panel. Comer agreed to a request to delay deposing her till after the Supreme Courtroom considers her petition to overturn her conviction for intercourse trafficking.
Comer additionally issued subpoenas to the Division of Justice (DOJ) and various high-profile former authorities officers, together with former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The Trump administration continues going through backlash over the way it has dealt with data associated to Epstein, who died in 2019. The backlash notably has come from each side of the aisle and specifically from members of his personal base.