Democrats seek Vance testimony on Epstein files to House committee
House Democrats are calling on Vice President JD Vance to testify about the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files, following a New York Times report detailing an internal crisis triggered by the documents.
Democrats on the House oversight committee, led by Representative Robert Garcia, plan to request that Vice President JD Vance testify regarding the Trump administration's management of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The move comes after a Wednesday report from the New York Times described how the Epstein documents sparked an internal crisis within the White House.
According to the Times, Vance warned fellow officials that the controversy represented a "huge problem," while senior aides held multiple Situation Room meetings—often without President Trump present—to address the growing issue. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles believed Vance was exaggerating and had "bought into the conspiracy theories."
Garcia questioned why strategy meetings about Epstein were being held in the Situation Room. Participants in those meetings included then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, current acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, Communications Director Steve Cheung, and others. Several attendees reportedly viewed the situation as a "PR disaster."
Discussions reportedly included unconventional options such as having Ghislaine Maxwell publicly defend Trump in an interview with Tucker Carlson. Vance advocated for releasing all files before Congress could advance the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Officials were primarily concerned about losing support from core MAGA voters rather than political opponents.
Internal conflicts escalated after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had allegedly sent Epstein a "bawdy" birthday message in 2003. Trump denied the letter's authenticity and filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the publisher, which was dismissed in March but refiled recently.
Republican lawmakers who strongly pushed for transparency faced consequences: Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned in January, Nancy Mace lost her primary, and Thomas Massie was ousted. Massie told NBC News that "everybody's paying a price" for the stance.
Recently, congressional investigators gathered fresh testimony from Epstein's longtime executive assistant, Lesley Groff. The committee also announced it would ask Epstein's former attorney, Alan Dershowitz, to appear.
