1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand that the House Oversight Committee conduct public, televised hearings in its investigation into the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Closed-door depositions are a disservice to survivors and to every American who deserves to see this process unfold in full daylight. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are scheduled to appear before the Committee on February 26 and 27. Both have publicly called for open hearings with cameras present. Yet Chairman Comer insists on private depositions, offering only the vague possibility of public proceedings afterward. When the witnesses are willing to testify openly and the committee insists on secrecy, we have to ask: who benefits from keeping this hidden? Certainly not the survivors, who have waited years for accountability. Certainly not the public, who have watched millions of pages of Epstein documents trickle out in heavily redacted batches while powerful people evade scrutiny. Private depositions allow committee members to selectively leak fragments, spin narratives, and control what the public sees. Televised hearings put testimony in its full, unedited context for Americans to evaluate themselves. If this investigation is truly about accountability, there is no justification for shielding it from view. The Epstein case has been defined by institutional failure at every turn. A sweetheart plea deal in 2008. A death in federal custody under deeply troubling circumstances. Documents released piecemeal with extensive redactions. Congress now has a chance to do what other institutions have not: conduct this process transparently, in front of the people it is supposed to serve. Nine Democrats joined Republicans in the contempt vote against the Clintons. This is not partisan. Do not let it become a partisan exercise in narrative control conducted behind closed doors. I urge you to demand public, televised hearings for all witness testimony in the Epstein investigation. Survivors and the public deserve nothing less.