WASHINGTON — At multiple hearings since last year, members of the House Oversight Committee have forced committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to send out subpoenas related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sexual predator and former friend of President Donald Trump.
Democrats got the ball rolling last summer with a subpoena for the Justice Department’s files on Epstein, and in March, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) forced a vote on subpoenaing then-Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The subpoenas have been damaging for Trump and awkward for Comer, who seems to have found a novel solution: stop holding hearings or, at the very least, stop calling them hearings. Six times since last year, the committee has instead held “roundtables” on issues such as AI, agriculture and military fitness standards.
The roundtables look a lot like hearings, with experts testifying to members about the topic at hand. But there’s a key difference: Committee members can only call for votes during official hearings, making it impossible for Democrats or rogue Republicans to try to issue further subpoenas.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the committee’s top Democrat, walked out of a committee roundtable about agriculture issues Tuesday in an act of protest.
