Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) has formally requested that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) subpoena Vice President Vance and several other White House officials for testimony regarding the administration's response to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. In a letter sent Friday, Garcia urged Comer to take immediate action, citing a recent New York Times report detailing internal White House deliberations over the so-called Epstein files.
Garcia named Vice President Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and six other senior aides as potential witnesses. The request follows reporting that described a tense Situation Room meeting in July where Vance reportedly described the Epstein controversy as a “huge problem” and pushed the Justice Department to release all relevant documents—including some containing unsubstantiated claims about President Trump.
The vice president also suggested reaching out to conservative commentator Tucker Carlson to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator, from prison, according to the Times. The report noted that some aides discussed what Maxwell’s lawyers might seek in exchange for her cooperation, including a possible pardon—an idea that several participants strongly opposed.
The crisis escalated further when the Wall Street Journal reported in July on a note Trump allegedly sent Epstein for his 50th birthday, which included a drawing of a naked woman and referenced “certain things” the two shared. The White House has denied the note’s authenticity, claiming Trump’s signature was forged.
According to the Times, the episode exposed deep divisions within the administration over how to handle the Epstein matter. White House reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan wrote that “the Epstein crisis had exposed something that some of Trump’s closest advisers spent months refusing to see”—that despite the president’s ability to reshape institutions, “he could not, it turned out, make Jeffrey Epstein disappear.”
In his letter, Garcia accused the administration of orchestrating a “coverup” and called for transparency. “The New York Times reporting is yet another demonstration that the Trump Administration is strictly opposed to transparency and, instead, has chosen to engage in a coverup of the Epstein files to protect Donald Trump,” he wrote. Garcia added that “all of those involved must provide answers to this Committee” and that the American people deserve the full truth.
The California Democrat also praised Comer’s stated intention to seek testimony from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, but stressed that any such session must be conducted under oath and videotaped for public release. The request comes as House Republicans and Democrats continue dueling probes into related campaign finance issues, including the ActBlue and WinRed platforms.
Comer has not yet publicly responded to Garcia’s letter, but the Oversight Committee has previously issued subpoenas in the Epstein probe, including one targeting attorney Alan Dershowitz. The panel’s next steps could determine whether the Epstein files remain a flashpoint in Washington’s partisan battles.
