The U.S. House Oversight Committee wants to depose Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of Jeffrey Epstein, in Tallahassee.
U.S. Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican and Chair of the House Oversight Committee, issued a subpoena for Maxwell to appear before the committee at the Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee. That’s where the 63-year-old is currently serving out a 20-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking.
“I have issued a subpoena to Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition to occur at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee on August 11, 2025,” Comer posted on social media. “The Department of Justice is cooperating and will help facilitate the deposition at the prison.”
The news comes a day after Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to meet with Maxwell’s attorneys. A lawyer for Maxwell said discussions on such a meeting had already begun.
Democrats on the Oversight Committee, including U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost of Orlando, voted unanimously Tuesday to subpoena Maxwell.
“This is progress. We will not stop fighting until the Epstein Files are released. Trump and Bondi must stop blocking the American people from the truth,” reads a post from Oversight Democrats.
Maxwell went to prison for helping Epstein, a Palm Beach financier, traffic underage girls to a private island for sex. Epstein died in federal prison in 2019, with his death ruled a suicide.
Speculation and intrigue about Epstein, who regularly hosted business and political leaders on the island, has surrounded him for years, especially since his death.
The issue has become a major political issue in recent weeks after the Justice Department and FBI issued a memo saying Epstein undoubtedly killed himself and that the government has no “client list” of individuals directly involved in the trafficking operation.
The Wall Street Journal last week reported that the files include a lewd birthday message sent to Epstein by Donald Trump years before he was President. Trump has denied the story and sued the Journal over the report.
On Wednesday, the same day Comer issued his subpoena, the Journal reported that the Justice Department informed Trump that his name appeared in files multiple times, along with other prominent individuals.
Meanwhile, congressional leaders including U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis say continued focus on Epstein in Washington is crippling congressional business.
“Right now, the Epstein files have gotten to the point where it has created an impasse for us getting things done because we have such a slim majority, and the Democrats have found an issue that they’ve been able to basically block any committee moving forward because they’re loading it up with Epstein amendments,” he told News Radio 1620.
Frost suggested that the administration has tried unsuccessfully to distract the public from the Epstein discussion.
“The White House is about to drop proof of aliens,” he quipped on X after the most recent Journal report.
The House announced this week it will send lawmakers home for August recess early, with business expected to wrap Wednesday.