Latest news with #HouseOversightandGovernmentReform
The Hill
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Speaker Johnson questions if Ghislaine Maxwell can ‘be counted on to tell the truth'
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday openly questioned if Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex offender and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, would be a credible witness as some lawmakers and federal officials move to speak with her amid the renewed focus on Epstein. The comments came one day after a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee voted to subpoena Maxwell to have her appear for a deposition. Also on Tuesday, a senior official at the Department of Justice (DOJ) reached out to Maxwell's lawyers about setting up a meeting with her. Johnson, however, is questioning if Maxwell would offer truthful testimony. 'I fully support my committee chairs, Jamie Comer is a trusted friend, he's an excellent chairman of the Oversight Committee, and he has a duty and responsibility to follow the truth where it leads,' Johnson said when asked if he supports the panel's move. 'And so every single one of us are for maximum transparency, and we'll use every power that we have to ensure that that's done. If they see fit to bring in Ghislaine Maxwell for testimony, that's fine.' 'I will note the obvious concern, the caveat that Chairman Comer and I and everyone has that, can she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?' he added. 'I mean, this is a person who's been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts. Acts against innocent young people.' He continued, asking: 'Can we trust what she's gonna say, even if she raises her hand and says that she'll testify under oath?' 'Is that something that can be trusted? You know, that's a reasonable question. Is that credible evidence?' he added. 'I don't know, but we'll have to see. We have to, you know, uncover everything that we can and let the American people evaluate.' Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022 after being found guilty of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor. Johnson's comments come as the Republican Party remains at odds over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein case, which has roiled Capitol Hill for two weeks and prompted Johnson to send lawmakers home for the extended August recess a day early. Democrats and a number of Republicans are demanding the release of all the Epstein files, requesting transparency in the case that has been a subject of conversation and conspiracies for years. Trump, meanwhile, has tried to tamp down the controversy. In a sign of the fracturing, the House came to a partial standstill this week and last week as lawmakers tried to force a vote to compel the administration to publish the documents. Democrats on the House Rules Committee planned to force a vote on a bipartisan resolution — led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — this week, but Republicans, concerned about voting down the measure, as is customary for members of the majority when facing a measure led by the minority party, said they would not do so. That came after Republicans on the panel opposed a similar measure last week, prompting serious pushback from constituents at home. As a result, Republicans on the Rules Committee advanced a non-binding resolution last week calling for the release of some information from the case. Democrats, however, are still pressing for a vote on the bipartisan measure, leading to this week's standstill and preventing the House from voting on any legislation through regular order. Instead, the chamber is processing non-controversial legislation through the fast-track suspension of the rules process. Amid the freeze, Republicans are attempting other avenues to get information. On Tuesday, during an unrelated hearing for an Oversight subcommittee, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) moved to direct the panel to authorize and issue a subpoena for Maxwell to appear for a deposition, which passed by voice vote. Johnson on Tuesday defended his handling of the situation, telling reporters: 'No one in Congress is blocking Epstein documents.' 'No one in Congress is doing that,' he added. 'What we are doing here, Republicans are preventing Democrats from making a mockery of the Rules Committee process because we refuse to engage in their political charade. That is what is happening and nothing more.'
The Hill
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
House Moves To SUBPOENA Ghislaine Maxwell
A House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee voted Tuesday to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex offender and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, as the Republicans on Capitol Hill push for the publication of more information related to Epstein's case. During an unrelated subcommittee hearing, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) moved to direct the panel to authorize and issue a subpoena for Maxwell to appear for a deposition, which passed by voice vote.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Just shut up...': Greene, Frost, and Comer clash in heated exchange over Padilla
Tensions boiled over Thursday in a Congressional hearing when Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., got into a heated argument where Comer told Frost to 'shut up.' The argument occurred during questioning of Democrat governors over sanctuary state policies in a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing. Rep. Frost asked to subpoena U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over actions related to removing Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., from a press conference in California. 'DHS federal officers threw a U.S. Senator to the ground,' Frost said over shouts from Rep Greene. 'Will you commit on the record to working to subpoena Kristi Noem because a U.S. Senator was just detained and thrown to the ground in his own state?' Frost asked Rep. Comer. Show more Show less
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Nancy Mace shows 'naked' photos in hearing, in push to tighten sexual misconduct laws
Nancy Mace shows 'naked' photos in hearing, in push to tighten sexual misconduct laws Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Rep. Nancy Mace's full 2024 RNC speech Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) delivers full remarks at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. WASHINGTON − Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, held up a blurry, black and white photo of what she said was her "naked silhouette" during a House hearing May 20. The image, Mace claimed, was a screenshot from a video taken without her consent on a "secret camera" by her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant. "I didn't pick this fight. I don't even want to be here today and discuss this," Mace said in her opening statements as chair of a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee. Bryant is one of four men Mace accused of sexual misconduct, including raping herself and other women, during a graphic House floor speech in February. Outside her congressional office, Mace displays a poster with each of their photos, names and cities of residence, sandwiched between the words "PREDATORS" and "STAY AWAY FROM." Her former partner has repeatedly denied her accusations. In a statement to multiple outlets, Bryant called the allegations from Mace "false and outrageous." "I have never raped anyone. I have never hidden cameras. I have never harmed any woman," Bryant said following the May 20 hearing. "These accusations are not just false—they are malicious and deeply personal." "My mistake was loving and trusting someone who later weaponized our relationship," he added. Another man accused by Mace, Brian Musgrave, filed a lawsuit for defamation against Mace in March. During the May House meeting, Mace showed additional images showing what she said were other women filmed without their knowledge while changing. (Their bodies were each covered entirely by pasted yellow circles, Mace said.) The South Carolina lawmaker has said she is advocating for stricter laws protecting victims of non-consensual recordings.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In hearing, Mace shows ‘naked silhouette' screenshot she says was recorded without her consent
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) showed a blurry screenshot of her 'naked silhouette' that she said was recorded without her consent during a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing she chaired on surveillance in private spaces on Tuesday. The hearing was the latest instance of Mace using the position of her office in a highly unusual way to amplify accusations against her ex-fiance and his business associates, who have denied wrongdoing. 'Freedom is not a theory. It is the right to breathe. It is the right to dress and undress, to sleep without someone's camera filming your naked body. The Founders wrote liberty in parchment, but hidden cameras erase it in pixels,' Mace said. 'I speak not just as a lawmaker, but as a survivor.' Displayed behind the congresswoman was a poster board showing a wide-angle security camera view of a living room, with a blurred human figure appearing to come out of a doorway — an image that she teased ahead of time with a post on the social platform X saying that she would be 'going there' to 'show my naked body' captured on one of the videos. 'Behind me is a screenshot from one of the videos I found of myself. The yellow circle, my naked silhouette, is my naked body,' Mace said. 'I didn't know that I had been filmed. I didn't give my consent. I didn't give my permission.' She urged lawmakers to advance her Sue VOYEURS Act to create a civil right of action and the Stop VOYEURS Act to expand the federal prohibition on video voyeurism. Mace first alleged that the men made and kept secretly recorded videos of women and girls, including herself, through hidden cameras placed at a rental property co-owned by her ex-fiance in a stunning House floor speech in February. Some of her allegations extended to more serious crimes such as sexual assault. Mace went on to show censored intimate photos of other women who were filmed and photographed purportedly without their knowledge — some of whom, she said, had given Mace permission to show the photos — while pointing fingers at the men. Mace's ex-fiance, Patrick Bryant, denied Mace's allegations in a lengthy statement to The Hill. 'I categorically deny the false and outrageous claims made by Nancy Mace. I have never raped anyone. I have never hidden cameras. I have never harmed any woman. These accusations are not just false—they are malicious and deeply personal,' Bryant said. 'My mistake was loving and trusting someone who later weaponized our relationship.' One of the individuals she named in her original floor speech has sued Mace for defamation. Mace's office has previously pointed out that the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause shields lawmakers against lawsuits for things they say and do as part of their legislative work. Bryant pointed to that legal protection, too, while pushing back on Mace. 'If she believed them to be true and there was evidence to support her accusations, she would say them outside the chamber—away from her public role and protections and pursue them through proper legal channels. She has not done so, because she cannot,' Bryant said, adding that witnesses have provided testimony and statements countering her version of events and that he has complied with a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation into the matter. 'This isn't advocacy. It's an abuse and exploitation of her political position for the sole purpose of promoting herself politically. Her allegations are absolutely baseless,' Bryant said. 'And, I will, at the right time, do whatever is necessary and appropriate to clear my name, to prove my integrity, and to restore my reputation in the community.' Asked about Bryant saying she should make her allegations in spaces where she is not protected by the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause, Mace told The Hill: 'I don't really give a f— what Patrick Bryant has to say.' And she defended her decision to use her office to amplify her personal story. 'I've written over a dozen bills to protect women and kids, based on my experiences, both personally but also working with victims for the last year and a half, and it has informed my legislative process,' Mace told The Hill. 'When I went through this, I surely thought the Violence Against Women Act had provisions to protect victims of voyeurism. It didn't. There's not even a civil tort in the Violence Against Women Act for women who are victims of voyeurism.' In the hearing room, Mace got support from other lawmakers. 'I'm very sorry about your experience and I hope you are able to find justice,' said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.). Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said she hoped Mace's efforts 'bring justice to the victims and yourself.' And Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) echoed, 'I apologize for what you went through and I do hope you get justice.' Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), ranking member on the subcommittee, did not directly speak to Mace's claims but started her remarks in recognition of 'the strength of women who come forward to share their experiences with abuse and violations [of] privacy.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
