Our Senior Advisor & Congressional Scholar, Dave Rapallo, published an op-ed in The Hill discussing the recent House subpoena for the Epstein files that was offered by Democratic Rep. Summer Lee and approved on a bipartisan basis. It’s rare for a minority subpoena to be approved, but it’s not unprecedented. Deliberation and voting used to be the norm before many committees shifted to unilateral subpoenas. Read the piece by clicking below!
The Democrats’ motion to subpoena the Epstein file has legal and historical basis
By Dave Rapallo — August 5, 2025 — The Hill
A subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee made big news at the end of July when it approved a Democratic motion to compel Attorney General Pam Bondi to turn over the Justice Department’s complete file on child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Some may wonder how this surprising turn of events came about, especially after Republican leaders killed similar efforts on the House floor and closed up shop early for the summer. But it was a rare example of a successful motion from a member of the minority party, fortified by congressional rules and precedent.