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• Fifteen Epstein survivors signed a joint statement calling Melania's hearing push a "deflection of responsibility, not justice"
• At least one survivor publicly welcomed the call and said she is ready to testify before Congress
• Comer says hearings will follow pending depositions — including one with Bill Gates scheduled for June

WASHINGTON (TDR) — House Oversight Chairman James Comer pledged Friday that Congress will hold public hearings for Jeffrey Epstein's survivors — but the victims the hearings are designed to serve are already divided on whether a congressional stage will produce anything they haven't already endured.

The big picture: The pledge follows a rare White House statement by Melania Trump on Thursday denying any meaningful connection to Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell and calling on Congress to give survivors sworn public testimony — a statement that surprised senior White House aides and that the president said he didn't know was coming.

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• Comer said the committee has "always planned" victim hearings, to follow completion of pending depositions
• Top panel Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia immediately backed the call, urging Comer to act "immediately"
• Rep. Nancy Mace called Melania's statement "truly momentous"

Why it matters: The Epstein investigation has consumed more than a year of congressional bandwidth — and survivors have already given testimony in legal proceedings at considerable personal cost.

• A congressional hearing adds a new venue but does not guarantee new accountability
• The question of who benefits — survivors or politicians — is exactly what is dividing the victims

Driving the news: Melania's statement broke from the administration's posture on Epstein and immediately reshuffled the investigation's politics.

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• Trump has called the Epstein files a "hoax"; acting AG Todd Blanche said this month DOJ does not view Epstein as part of its agenda
• Melania delivered her statement without the president's advance knowledge, calling for hearings "specifically centered around the survivors"
• Comer confirmed Friday: "I agree with the first lady. We will have hearings"
• Still pending: depositions with Bill Gates (June 10), Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (May 6), and others Comer called "high-profile men"

What they're saying: The survivor response to Melania's call is the most consequential voice in this debate — and it is not unified.

• Marina Lacerda, identified in a 2019 Epstein indictment as Minor-Victim 1 — "You want to retraumatize us and ask us to go in front of Congress and tell them our story, which we have told some of them already. And then do absolutely nothing."
• Alicia Arden, who filed a police report against Epstein before his 2006 indictment — "I hope that we get to testify before Congress. If Melania would like to be with us, I think that would be nice."

Yes, but: The group of 15 survivors who signed a joint statement Friday did not oppose accountability — they objected to who is being asked to carry it.

• "Survivors have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony. Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice," the statement read
• Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents 27 survivors, supports hearings but says no survivor should be subpoenaed

Between the lines: Melania's statement made Epstein victim hearings politically cost-free for both parties overnight — Garcia endorsed it within hours, Mace praised it, Comer confirmed it on Fox. But the bipartisan consensus formed around what politicians want from hearings. The survivors pushing back aren't arguing against truth — they're pointing out that Congress has had the power to compel accountability from Epstein's enablers all along and has repeatedly stopped short.

• Pam Bondi's deposition — the former AG who oversaw Epstein's original plea deal — was canceled this week after DOJ intervened
• The "high-profile men" Comer referenced Friday have no confirmed names or dates

What's next:

• Bill Gates deposition scheduled June 10 before the House Oversight Committee
• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick deposition set for May 6
• Pam Bondi deposition status unresolved after DOJ cancellation
• Victim hearings timeline not set; Comer says they follow completion of depositions

If Congress has the power to compel testimony from Epstein's associates but has repeatedly stopped short of using it — what would a victim hearing actually prove that closed-door depositions have not?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from NPR, NBC News, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, and the Washington Examiner.

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