Congressional Democrats said Tuesday they plan to subpoena President Donald Trump to testify under oath about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein if they regain control of the House, citing what they describe as a new precedent set by Republicans' aggressive oversight tactics.
"We are absolutely going to have Donald Trump testify under oath," Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., a member of Democratic leadership, told NBC News, saying the issue would be a priority once Democrats have subpoena power.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., a former House majority leader who is retiring at the end of this Congress, said the prospect of Trump testifying would be significant. "It is a big deal," Hoyer said. "And it'd be interesting to see what former President Trump thinks of that premise."
Several Democrats pointed directly to recent actions by House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., who last week threatened to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after they initially declined to comply with requests related to Epstein records.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., a member of the Oversight Committee, said Democrats would "100%" use the same authority Republicans have asserted. "It does set a precedent, and we will follow it," Frost said. "Donald Trump, all of his kids. Everybody."
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Republicans' current approach could backfire. "This will make Donald Trump happy in the short term, but in the long term, a year from now, we have subpoena power," Pocan said, adding: "What goes around comes around."
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who co-authored legislation that helped force the release of Justice Department documents related to Epstein, said Trump should face the same scrutiny Republicans have applied to Democrats.
"The precedent it sets is that Donald Trump better be showing up before Oversight on the Epstein matter," Khanna said. "I hope Comer will pursue that with the same zeal he's pursued the Clintons."
Republicans currently hold the House majority, giving Comer control of the Oversight Committee and its subpoena authority.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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