House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Friday that he supports calls from Melania Trump for Congress to hold public proceedings involving individuals who accuse disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein of wrongdoing.
In a public statement Thursday, the first lady denied any connection to Epstein and urged lawmakers to let survivors give sworn testimony about his activities in public. Comer said that he agrees with Trump’s position that victims should be allowed to give sworn testimony in an open setting. He also said the committee intends to proceed with hearings.
“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,” Comer said. “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.”
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Comer revealed that additional well-known individuals are expected to be involved in the ongoing proceedings.
“We’ve still got some more high-profile men that are coming in,” Comer added. “I agree with the First Lady and appreciate what she said. We will have hearings.”
Alicia Arden, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, praised Trump for supporting calls for a formal congressional hearing on the issue. Arden said she is ready to testify about her experience and believes other survivors should also have the opportunity to share their accounts in that setting.
“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,” Arden said. “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.”
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox News)
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