Democrats on the House oversight committee, led by Representative Robert Garcia, are calling for Vice-President JD Vance to testify about the Trump administration's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. The move follows a New York Times report detailing an internal crisis within the White House over the issue.
Garcia plans to ask committee chair James Comer to summon Vance, according to Punchbowl News. The White House has not responded to requests for comment on whether Vance would appear. The Times report describes how Vance warned colleagues the controversy was a “huge problem”, prompting Situation Room meetings often held without President Trump.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles reportedly believed Vance exaggerated the matter and had “bought into the conspiracy theories”. Garcia questioned why the Situation Room was used for Epstein strategy discussions. The report notes that participants included former attorney general Pam Bondi, acting attorney general Todd Blanche, FBI director Kash Patel, and others, with some viewing the situation as a “PR disaster”.
Officials considered various responses, including releasing files and using Ghislaine Maxwell to defend Trump in an interview with Tucker Carlson. Vance argued for full disclosure before Congress could pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Aides were reportedly more concerned about losing support from the MAGA base than about political opponents.
The controversy intensified after a 2025 justice department memo found no evidence of a “client list”, drawing criticism from Trump supporters. The subsequent release of millions of pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act fuelled further attention. Infighting peaked after the Wall Street Journal reported Trump sent Epstein a “bawdy” birthday message in 2003, which Trump denied and sued over.
