House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Friday he supports First Lady Melania Trump's call for Congress to hold public hearings where survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse can deliver sworn testimony, and that the committee has been quietly preparing for exactly that for months.
Comer's announcement came one day after Melania Trump issued a public statement denying any personal connection to the disgraced financier and urging lawmakers to give survivors an open forum. The chairman said hearings will move forward once a round of depositions involving additional high-profile witnesses wraps up.
The commitment marks a concrete step in a congressional investigation that has already drawn testimony from prominent figures and generated sustained public pressure for accountability. For victims who have waited years for a formal platform, the promise of sworn, on-the-record proceedings before Congress carries real weight, if it holds.
In remarks reported by the Daily Caller, Comer laid out the committee's posture in plain terms:
"I've always planned on having hearings with the victims. My attorneys on the Oversight Committee have been communicating on a constant basis for months with the attorneys representing Epstein victims. There are some victims who are willing to come in, most victims aren't, and I completely understand that, but we have always planned on having a hearing with Epstein victims once the depositions have been completed."
That last qualifier matters. Comer indicated the deposition phase is not over. He told reporters that more well-known individuals are still expected to appear before the committee.
Comer added a direct endorsement of the First Lady's position, stating he agrees with her and appreciating what she said. He closed with a flat pledge: "We will have hearings."
The New York Post reported that Comer made his remarks on Fox News, reiterating that hearings with willing victims had already been planned and would follow the completion of depositions from additional high-profile witnesses. Melania Trump's statement specifically called for victims to testify under oath and have their testimony entered into the Congressional Record.
The First Lady's Thursday statement set the stage. She denied any connection to Epstein and called on Congress to let survivors speak publicly and under oath about his activities. The statement drew attention not just for its content but for its source, a sitting First Lady inserting herself directly into a sensitive congressional investigation.
Melania Trump has shown a willingness to step into high-profile humanitarian and accountability issues. She recently announced a third round of Ukrainian and Russian children returned to their families, underscoring a pattern of public engagement on matters involving vulnerable populations.
Her Epstein statement landed in a political environment already charged by months of oversight activity. The House Oversight Committee has been at the center of that pressure campaign, having previously subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi over the release of Epstein files.
Alicia Arden, described as a survivor of Epstein's abuse, praised Melania Trump for backing the call for formal hearings. Arden said she is ready to testify about what Epstein did to her and believes other survivors should have the same opportunity.
"I'm really happy and really quite proud of Melania to call for a hearing so that if we want to, if I want to testify before Congress about what Jeffrey Epstein did to me, the other victims can come with me, they can come and testify with me. I'm very happy that Melania is wanting to ask Congress for a hearing for us. So, I would be very, very happy to testify before Congress, and I think that it's really great that she's wanting to do that for us."
Arden's willingness stands out because Comer himself acknowledged a hard reality: most victims are not willing to come forward. The chairman said he "completely understands" that reluctance. Public testimony before Congress, under oath and on camera, is a different proposition than a private deposition, and for survivors of sexual abuse, the stakes are deeply personal.
That gap between willing and unwilling survivors is worth watching. If only a handful agree to testify, the hearings could still carry moral force. But the committee's ability to build a comprehensive public record depends on how many victims ultimately decide the platform is worth the exposure.
Comer's pledge does not exist in a vacuum. The House Oversight Committee has spent months pressing for transparency on Epstein-related matters from multiple directions. The committee has also sought depositions from Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over Epstein files, signaling that the investigation extends well beyond survivor testimony.
Comer's reference to "some more high-profile men that are coming in" suggests the deposition pipeline still has significant names in it. He did not identify those individuals. The open question of who remains on the committee's list has fueled public speculation for weeks.
Meanwhile, other figures connected to the Epstein case have taken different approaches to congressional scrutiny. Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment and demanded clemency in exchange for testimony, a move that drew sharp criticism and raised fresh questions about what she knows and what she is protecting.
On the political side, the investigation has drawn participation from across the aisle. The Clintons agreed to testify before the House Oversight panel on the Epstein case, a development that itself generated enormous public interest.
Comer's statements leave several practical questions open. He did not specify a date for the hearings, saying only that they would follow the completion of depositions. He did not name the high-profile witnesses still expected to appear. And the committee has not publicly detailed how it would structure hearings to protect survivor privacy while fulfilling the First Lady's call for public, on-the-record testimony.
The New York Post noted that while Melania Trump's statement drew some bipartisan support, some survivors criticized the idea of placing the burden on victims to testify publicly. That tension, between transparency and the well-being of the people most harmed, will define the tone and scope of whatever proceedings Comer ultimately convenes.
Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia, for his part, has taken a different tack entirely, suggesting that both the President and First Lady could be called before Congress if Democrats retake the House. That posture treats the investigation as a political weapon rather than a fact-finding exercise, a distinction voters can judge for themselves.
Comer now has a public commitment on the record, backed by the First Lady and welcomed by at least one survivor willing to sit in the witness chair. The committee's attorneys have been working behind the scenes for months. Depositions are still underway. The machinery exists.
What matters now is whether the hearings actually happen, and whether they produce accountability or just another round of Washington theater.
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes have waited years for powerful people to face real questions in a public forum. The chairman says the hearings are coming. The country will be watching to see if Congress finally delivers.
