Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley led a group of Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to call for a congressional hearing with the victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial, and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
In a letter to Committee Chair James Comer, Pressley — a committee member and sexual assault survivor — joined 15 other Democratic lawmakers in arguing that the victims’ firsthand accounts may not be fully represented in the Department of Justice’s records.
“If the Committee is to conduct credible oversight, it must hear directly from survivors, or their representatives, who volunteer to advance our investigation on their own terms,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “Some survivors have expressed a clear willingness and desire to come before Congress, and the Committee cannot meet their strength and bravery with inaction.”
The letter comes amid mounting criticism of the Trump administration, as lawmakers from both parties raise concerns about the transparency and handling of the Epstein case. On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena to the Justice Department requesting records tied to the Epstein case.
As part of the investigation, the GOP-controlled committee issued subpoenas for depositions with former president Bill Clinton, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former top law enforcement officials. The same day, Maxwell’s lawyers asked the court to block the government’s attempt to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation, citing her ongoing appeal of her conviction related to her role in Epstein’s abuse of minors.
According to a statement from Pressley’s office, the lawmakers argued that the victims, who suffered abuse from Epstein, carry deep trauma that deserves to be acknowledged, saying that “releasing the full, unredacted Epstein files will not tell the full story.”
The lawmakers warned that the testimony from Maxwell, who was described as an “unreliable and untrustworthy co-conspirator,” while ignoring the voices of those she helped abuse, would only cause “more pain for survivors and more misinformation for the public.”
The lawmakers argued that victims’ voices should be heard and their healing prioritized in Congress’s push for transparency and accountability.
“For too long, powerful abusers and their enablers have been shielded by institutions more interested in protecting predators than centering survivors,” the lawmakers wrote.
“The Committee now has an opportunity to break that cycle. A public hearing focused on survivors who wish to speak out would be a meaningful step towards transparency, accountability, and healing,” the lawmakers added.
Trump has distanced himself from the Epstein case, denying any prior knowledge of his crimes and claiming their relationship ended years ago. The president has also repeatedly downplayed the Justice Department’s refusal to release the full details of its investigation.
Back in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that she was in possession of a “client list” left behind by Epstein. But last month, the Justice Department said Epstein said such a list did not exist. Bondi clarified at a Cabinet meeting that she had been referring to the broader case file, not a specific list of clients.
Alyssa Vega can be reached at alyssa.vega@globe.com.