U.S. House Oversight chair vows hearings with Epstein victims after Melania Trump’s speech

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters as he arrives for a deposition with former Attorney General Bill Barr, on Capitol Hill, Monday, Aug 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said on Friday that he agreed with first lady Melania Trump’s call for congressional hearings with victims of Jeffrey Epstein, saying “we will have hearings.”

Melania Trump, the wife of U.S. President Donald Trump, said on Thursday that the public hearings were needed for Epstein victims to tell their stories under oath, raising the prospect of further public attention on an issue the president wants to go away.

• READ MORE: Melania Trump blasts ‘lies’ linking her to Epstein and calls on Congress to hold hearing for victims

“I agree with the first lady and appreciate what she said. We will have hearings,” Comer told Fox News’ America Reports program.

Comer said the House Oversight Committee’s attorneys have been in constant contact with Epstein’s victims. He said some victims are willing to come in, while others are not.

“We have always planned on having a hearing with Epstein victims once the depositions have been completed, so we’ve still got some more high-profile men that are coming in,” Comer said.

Epstein has been the centre of political discussion in recent months after the U.S. Justice Department released millions of files related to the late financier, who was facing federal charges of sex-trafficking minors when he died in jail in what was ruled a suicide.

More than 1,200 victims of Epstein were identified in documents that have been steadily released by the U.S. Justice Department since late-2025.

In her rare Thursday remarks, which thrust the Epstein matter back into the spotlight after her husband had sought to put it behind him, the first lady denied that she had any connection with Epstein and said she was not one of his victims.

Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; editing by Michelle Nichols.