Republicans risk Trump's wrath with move to SUBPOENA Ghislane Maxwell on Epstein setting up spectacle
Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee requested a motion to have Maxwell subpoenaed during Tuesday's House Oversight Committee hearing.
The committee approved Burchett's motion for Maxwell's deposition, meaning the 62-year-old who is serving a 20-year-sentence for sex trafficking may have a chance to air her story to members of Congress craving more information on the sordid saga.
Burchett first shared he was considering how to get Maxwell's testimony last week.
He sent a letter to Oversight Chairman James Comer asking him for a public hearing - which are normally televised - with Maxwell testifying before the full panel.
The Tennessean said in the letter if Maxwell refuses then the committee should subpoena her.
'The Committee will seek to subpoena Ms. Maxwell as expeditiously as possible,' an Oversight spokesperson said.
'Since Ms. Maxwell is in federal prison, the Committee will work with the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons to identify a date when Committee can depose her.'
The push for the Epstein accomplice's testimony comes amid extreme pressure on Capitol Hill to release files related to the financier's crimes and death.
The House canceled votes on Thursday due to complications with Epstein.
The Rules Committee, which determines what bills make it to the House floor for votes, has been paralyzed since Democrats on the panel have continuously worked to force Republicans to vote against the Epstein files being released.
The political jockeying has frustrated GOP members on the panel, some of whom have sided with Democrats on rules committee votes to avoid pushing back against the release of the high-profile documents.
Already Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has introduced a bill that would force the Department of Justice to release most of its files on Epstein.
Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican leadership have also been supportive of additional Epstein files being published.
Johnson and his team are virtually powerless in stopping Massie's measure, too, as it will eventually reach the floor after gaining 218 co-signers - and almost all Democrats and some Republicans have already said they'd vote for it.
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