House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Friday that Congress will hold hearings featuring the victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, one day after first lady Melania Trump delivered rare public remarks urging lawmakers to let survivors testify under oath.
Comer made the announcement on Fox News's "America's Reports," telling viewers the hearings had been in the works for some time and would proceed once the committee wraps up its current round of depositions. His remarks came as a direct endorsement of the first lady's Thursday call for transparency, a striking moment in a case that has frustrated the public for years.
The committee chairman framed his commitment in plain terms, as reported Friday:
"I've always planned on having hearings with the victims. There are some victims who are willing to come in. Most victims aren't, and I completely understand that."
He added a pointed endorsement of the first lady's position:
"I agree with the first lady and appreciate what she said. We will have hearings."
The first lady's Thursday remarks caught Washington's attention. Melania Trump has kept a relatively low public profile during the current term, making her decision to weigh in on the Epstein investigation all the more notable. What prompted her to speak is not clear.
Her statement was direct and carried no hedging. As the Washington Examiner reported, the first lady called for every survivor to have the chance to speak publicly and permanently:
"Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record. Then, and only then, will we have the truth."
Melania Trump also addressed her own connection to the Epstein saga. She denied any ties to Epstein and rejected claims that the convicted sex offender introduced her to Donald Trump. She acknowledged that she and the president had moved in the same New York and Palm Beach social circles as Epstein, a fact widely known, but maintained she was not involved in his crimes. She noted that her name has not appeared in court documents, victim statements, or FBI interviews surrounding the case.
That direct, on-the-record denial is consistent with her previous handling of questions about Ghislaine Maxwell at a White House event, where she declined to engage with a reporter's politically charged query.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has not been idle. Before Comer's Friday announcement, the panel had already conducted closed-door depositions with several figures whose names surfaced in files released by the Department of Justice relating to Epstein.
Among those who have already sat for depositions: retail mogul Les Wexner, former President Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton. All three appeared after their names turned up in the DOJ files. The committee's attorneys have been in regular contact with lawyers representing victims as part of the broader investigation, Comer said.
The pipeline of witnesses extends further. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates are slated to sit for transcribed interviews in June. Ted Waitt, described as a former associate of Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, has also been asked to sit for an interview. So have Tova Noel, a prison guard who worked around Epstein, and Lesley Groff, a former Epstein aide.
That lineup spans the worlds of business, politics, and the federal corrections system, a signal that the committee is casting a wide net. The inclusion of a prison guard is particularly telling, given the long-standing public questions about the circumstances of Epstein's death in federal custody.
Lawmakers from both parties have pushed for greater transparency around Epstein's network and the institutional failures that allowed his alleged abuses to continue for so long. The New York Post reported that Melania Trump's call drew support from some Democrats as well as Republicans, though some survivors criticized the proposal, arguing the government should release more Epstein files rather than shifting attention onto victims.
That tension, between public hearings and document disclosure, is real and worth watching. Victims who are willing to testify deserve every protection and every platform. But the broader public interest also lies in the paper trail: flight logs, communications, DOJ files, and the full accounting of who knew what and when.
Comer's committee has so far pursued both tracks. The closed-door depositions suggest a methodical approach. The promise of open hearings adds a layer of public accountability that documents alone cannot provide.
Meanwhile, the first lady's willingness to address the Epstein matter head-on stands in contrast to the evasiveness that has characterized so many powerful figures touched by this case. Paolo Zampolli has said he will testify under oath that he introduced Donald and Melania Trump, a claim that directly contradicts the narrative that Epstein played any role in their meeting.
For all the progress, major questions hang over the investigation. The committee has not disclosed exactly how many victims are willing to testify publicly. Comer acknowledged that most are not, an understandable reality given the trauma involved.
No date or location for the hearings has been announced. The specific DOJ files that triggered the depositions have not been publicly identified in detail. And the question of what prompted Melania Trump to speak on Thursday, after months of relative public quiet, remains open.
The first lady has navigated a series of politically charged public moments with a combination of directness and restraint. Her Epstein remarks fit that pattern: clear, controlled, and aimed squarely at accountability.
Whether the hearings produce genuine revelations or become another exercise in Washington theater will depend on the committee's follow-through. The depositions of Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Les Wexner have already happened behind closed doors. The real test is what comes next, and whether the public gets to see it.
Comer has the gavel. Melania Trump gave him a public push. Now the committee has to deliver, not just for the political class watching from a safe distance, but for the women whose stories have been buried under years of institutional failure and elite indifference.
The Epstein case has always been about powerful people who believed they were untouchable. Elite circles protect their own, until someone with a platform refuses to look away. The first lady just did that. Congress has no excuse not to follow.