Senator Mike Lee is calling for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell to testify before Congress.
The political world was rocked last week when the Justice Department and FBI released a memo concluding that the long-rumored Epstein "client list" was a myth. The memo also concluded that Epstein was not murdered but took his own life in prison—a finding that has done little to quell public skepticism.
The Trump administration's attempts to dismiss the controversy have backfired spectacularly. Trump and his allies repeatedly stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein during the 2024 election and have now dismissed the issue as nothing more than a “hoax.”
“This is a difficult topic, and it’s a topic that’s not simply gonna go away easily,” Lee said during an interview this week with conservative YouTube personality Benny Johnson.
Lee is correct. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday found that 69% of Americans think the federal government is hiding details about Epstein’s clients, and just 17% of Americans approve of President Trump’s handling of the case.
Lee says, fundamentally, Americans don’t trust the government, and the Trump administration could rebuild some of that trust by being more forthcoming.
“Anything that will give the public a greater understanding of what the government has, what it doesn’t have, and why it doesn’t have it or can’t release it. A robust explanation as to why what’s not being released can’t be released, either because it’s privileged, grand jury proceeding material, or to respect victim confidentiality, or something like that,” Lee said.
Then Lee suggested another move that could help put the issue to bed.
“I think there are people who do know, who could talk. Imagine if we had Ghislane Maxwell come and testify before a congressional committee. I think that could go a long way toward helping the public gain some insight into this longstanding criminal enterprise that people are afraid will be swept under the rug,” Lee said.
Johnson, clearly caught off guard by Lee’s idea, asked if Lee would favor having Maxwell testify before Congress.
“Absolutely,” Lee said. “I think she could answer a lot of questions that could help put all of this in perspective.”
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 on child sex-trafficking charges. Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported that associates of Maxwell have offered to have her testify before Congress.
Last week, Lee suggested without evidence that Epstein was possibly a government asset.
