The House Oversight subcommittee voted a week ago to subpoena the Justice Department for the Jeffrey Epstein files, but it has not been issued.
Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has not signed the document to fully prepare it for issuance, according to The Washington Post.
Committee spokeswoman Jessica Collins said in a Tuesday statement that, "Chairman Comer has been clear that subpoenas will be issued in the near future."
She told the Post that the House is preparing at least 11 subpoenas for notable former government officials who are believed to have important information about the Epstein case going back about 20 years.
Two procedural actions need to be followed before the subpoena can be issued. The full committee needs to agree, and if that happens, the subpoena needs to be signed by Comer for it to be sent out. The House went on recess immediately after the subcommittee vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called an early recess after Democrats pushed to force the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related files and put Republicans in a tight spot.
Johnson said he preferred to allow ongoing negotiations between the administration and Epstein facilitator Ghislaine Maxwell to continue without the added complication of congressional subpoenas. He emphasized the need for Congress to prioritize protecting Epstein’s victims. Republicans also criticized the Biden administration for failing to take meaningful action on the case over the past four years.
An autopsy found that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His longtime girlfriend, Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in the trafficking scheme and is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a federal prison in Florida.
Maxwell has begun cooperating with the Justice Department, though prosecutors have not disclosed details of their discussions. She is also appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her conviction.
Late Tuesday, the Trump administration requested that two judges order the release of testimony heard by the investigating grand juries in the Epstein case.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.