In a striking bipartisan move, the House Oversight Committee’s federal law enforcement subcommittee has voted to subpoena all documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case—openly challenging President Donald Trump’s attempts to keep them under wraps.
The vote, which passed by a wide 8-2 margin, marks a major escalation in the ongoing struggle over the so-called “Epstein Files”, now entering its third week. Despite recent efforts by the Trump administration to shift the narrative—including a widely criticized press briefing by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard—the pressure on federal agencies continues to mount.
On CNN’s OutFront, anchor Erin Burnett spoke with congressional correspondent Manu Raju to break down the subcommittee’s bold step:
ERIN BURNETT: “Straight to Manu Raju, who’s on Capitol Hill tonight, who has been breaking so much of this news. Manu, this move by the subcommittee—Republicans voting to issue a subpoena—is hugely significant. It defies the president.”
MANU RAJU: “Yeah, and it’s been a huge distraction for Republican leaders. The House is limping toward recess, and this week’s agenda has essentially ground to a halt. Democrats have seized on Republican divisions to push for votes on the Epstein issue. While GOP leadership has tried to stop it, several Republicans broke ranks to side with Democrats—resulting in the House floor being shut down for days.”
“And now it’s playing out at the committee level too. Today, the subcommittee voted to subpoena all Epstein-related records from the Department of Justice. That only happened because Democrats forced the issue—and three Republicans joined them.”
Raju added that Republican members he spoke with expect the issue to grow more prominent over the August recess. Even as lawmakers leave Washington, the demand for transparency surrounding Epstein’s connections and investigations is only expected to intensify.
