Epstein survivors push back on Melania Trump hearing call as Comer vows ‘we will have hearings’
Some Jeffrey Epstein abuse survivors are pushing back on first lady Melania Trump’s call for public congressional testimony, as House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., confirmed Friday "we will have hearings," following a rare public statement Thursday by Trump at the White House where she came out swinging at those who have linked her to Epstein.
The first lady also called on Congress to conduct hearings "specifically centered around the survivors."
"Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony," Trump said. "Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record."
But a group of 15 Epstein victims released a joint statement Friday against the move.
"First Lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors," they said. "Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony," they added. "Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice."
Comer said such hearings have always been on his radar.
"I agree with the first lady and appreciate what she said. We will have hearings," Comer told Fox News' Sandra Smith. "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," he added. "There are some victims who are willing to come in, [but] most victims aren't, and I completely understand that, but we have always planned on having a hearing with Epstein's victims once the depositions have been completed."
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both sat for closed-door depositions with the House Oversight Committee in February for questioning related to Epstein, and a deposition is forthcoming for Microsoft founder Bill Gates in June.
"The first lady accomplished three things [Thursday] as it relates to the disgraceful Epstein," the first lady's senior advisor, Marc Beckman, told "Fox & Friends" Friday. "First, she cleared her record; she set the record straight, she debunked all of the lies surrounding her and Epstein."
"Second, she became a champion for these women, for the victims, and finally, third, she's a real leader in Washington, D.C. She's calling on Congress to act now."
It is unclear when or how many of the survivors will come forward to testify.
"Survivors have done their part. Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs," the survivors said in the statement.