House Dems call for Trump and Lutnick to testify over Epstein ties

What this episode is about

Democrats press for testimony from Trump, Howard Lutnick, and others connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, insisting on full cooperation, disclosure of files, and questioning those with knowledge to ensure accountability and survivors’ rights. They argue no one is above the law and call for comprehensive, unobstructed testimony and disclosures.

Key takeaways

• No one is above the law—even presidents—yet the testimony reveals partisan theatrics shaping accountability norms.
• Survivors’ voices are centering the narrative, but diverse actors (Lutnick, Bondi, Gates, Summers) complicate blame allocation.
• The NM and state investigations claim momentum where federal probes lag, signaling a multi-jurisdictional accountability strategy.
• Deposition theatrics risk conflating personal reputations with substantive crimes, potentially diluting focus on Epstein conspiracy culture.
• Calls for full, unedited transcripts underscore transparency as currency; the core challenge is turning rhetoric into verifiable disclosures.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Secretary Clinton (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• President Clinton (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Howard Lutnick (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Pam Bondi (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Donald Trump (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (Host) · 1 min speaking
• Congresswoman Yasemin Ansari (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Congressman Maxwell Frost (Guest) · 1 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, New Mexico
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Jeffrey Epstein, Bill and Hillary Clinton, United States (states), Donald Trump
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Oversight Committee
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, Oversight Committee, Ghislain Maxwell
5. 12:00 – 13:59: Bill and Hillary Clinton

Notable quotes from "House Dems call for Trump and Lutnick to testify over Epstein ties"

• And the Democratic members of the Oversight Committee feel the same.

  about Oversight Committee · at 1:26

• We have reopened an investigation through our state attorney general into the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates in New Mexico, as well as passed the first state-level truth commission in this case ever passed.

  about Jeffrey Epstein · at 2:29

• BUT IT IS VERY well established that President Clinton had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and we are treating this investigation extraordinarily seriously.

  about Ghislain Maxwell · at 3:19

• The fact that we have the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton under oath, speaking to the Oversight Committee and answering questions in a transparent manner is critical.

  about Bill and Hillary Clinton · at 5:36

• Donald Trump must be deposed immediately in front of this committee, as do many senior LEVEL OFFICIALS FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION.

  about Donald Trump · at 7:00

• Much time yesterday grilling secretary Clinton when she obviously had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein and had never met WE ALSO WANT TO REITERATE, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW, OUR CALL YESTERDAY,.

  about Hillary Clinton · at 10:05

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Bill and Hillary Clinton — Person · Core topic · 11 mentions · first at 0:10
  Discussed as the former U.S. president who appeared under oath before the Oversight Committee regarding Jeffrey Epstein-related questions; his cooperation is used as a precedent and contrast to demands for Donald Trump to testify.
• Jeffrey Epstein — Person · Core topic · 10 mentions · first at 0:56
  Central subject of the investigation; referenced in connection with alleged crimes, the release of files, and relationships with powerful individuals including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Ghislaine Maxwell.
• Donald Trump — Person · Core topic · 4 mentions · first at 0:47
  Repeatedly demanded to be deposed by the Oversight Committee; speakers allege credible allegations and emphasize his presence in the Epstein files and questions about his relationship and falling out with Epstein.
• Howard Lutnick — Person · Referenced subject · 3 mentions · first at 0:51
  Named as someone allegedly appearing in Epstein-related materials and repeatedly called on to testify; also referenced via Donald Trump's claim that Lutnick is 'a very innocent guy.'
  By refusing to release the full Epstein files, by illegally withholding information, by deleting photos and videos of people like Howard Lutnick.
• Ghislain Maxwell — Person · Core topic (associated figure) · 2 mentions · first at 3:23
  Named as an Epstein associate and used as a comparison point for frequency of appearance in the Epstein files; also linked to Bill Clinton's acknowledged relationship with Epstein.
• Hillary Clinton — Person · Referenced subject · 1 mention · first at 10:10
  Discussed as having been called by the committee and treated unfairly according to speakers; repeatedly stated to have no knowledge of Epstein and never to have met him, with demands to release her deposition unedited.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi — Person · Referenced subject · 3 mentions · first at 1:57
  Accused of obstruction and tied to claims that DOJ is withholding Epstein files; speakers demand her testimony and criticize non-release of materials.
  As we walk out of here today and go back to D.C., will join us in making sure that we can hear from Howard Lutnik, from Pam Bondi, and from President Trump.
• Melanie Stansbury — Person · Speaker · 1 mention · first at 2:18
  Speaks about New Mexico reopening investigations and creating a truth commission; contrasts lack of public accusations against Bill Clinton with allegations involving Donald Trump while stressing seriousness of the investigation.
  I am Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, and I am deeply proud to represent New Mexico's first congressional district where our state has taken action where the federal government has failed.
• Maxwell Frost — Person · Speaker · 1 mention · first at 3:58
  Thanks Bill Clinton for testifying and raises questions about Donald Trump's relationship and falling out with Epstein; challenges Trump's claim about Howard Lutnick's innocence.
  Hello, everybody. Congressman Maxwell Frost.
• Aziz Ansari — Person · Speaker · 1 mention · first at 5:27
  Frames the deposition as a historic transparency moment and alleges a coordinated White House cover-up; calls for unedited release of transcripts/videos and compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
  Good afternoon, Congresswoman Yasemin Ansari, representing Arizona's 3rd District.
• Julius Randall — Person · Speaker (referenced by introduction) · 1 mention · first at 1:11
  Introduced as a congresswoman participating in the press remarks; her segment emphasizes that no one is above the law and calls for testimony from anyone with knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
  First we have is Congresswoman Emily Randall.
• Suhas Cabrimonium — Person · Speaker · 1 mention · first at 7:09
  Claims Oversight Democrats are treating the investigation nonpartisanly and praises Bill Clinton's cooperation; demands similar transparency from Donald Trump and release of files.
  I'M CONGRESSMAN SUHAS CABRIMONIUM FROM VIRGINIA.
• Larry Summers — Person · Referenced subject · 1 mention · first at 2:07
  Listed among prominent individuals who, according to speakers, should testify if they have knowledge related to Epstein's crimes.
  From anyone with information, whether that's Howard Ludnick, Bill Gates, Larry SUMMERS, AND YES, EVEN AND ESPECIALLY DONALD TRUMP.

Companies & orgs

• Oversight Committee — Organization · Core institution · 4 mentions · first at 1:26
  The congressional body conducting depositions and demanding release of transcripts/videos; framed as the venue for accountability and transparency regarding Epstein-related allegations.

Concepts & topics

• Epstein Files Transparency Act — Concept · Policy concept / demand · 1 mention · first at 6:44
  Cited as a legal/oversight basis for demanding release of the full Epstein files; speakers allege DOJ is defying it by withholding information and deleting media.
  Why is the DOJ continuing to defy the Epstein Files Transparency Act by refusing to release the full Epstein files, by illegally withholding information, by deleting photos and videos of people.

Places & events

• United States (states) — Place · Setting · 5 mentions · first at 1:21
  Referenced as the national context for rule of law, transparency, and the unprecedented nature of compelling presidents/former presidents to testify; also referenced in relation to a state-level truth commission 'in the history of the United States.'
  Think today was a historic day for transparency in the United States of America.
• New Mexico — Place · Investigation locus · 2 mentions · first at 2:20
  Presented as a state taking action where the federal government failed, including reopening an investigation into Epstein-related crimes and establishing a state-level truth commission.
  I am Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, and I am deeply proud to represent New Mexico's first congressional district where our state has taken action where the federal government has failed.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:01 for the committee to call him and ask him tough questions about what happened. He also made it clear that it was totally inappropriate for this committee to call Secretary Clinton. That's why, personally, I didn't even show up yesterday. I thought it was outrageous the way they treated Secretary Clinton. She has nothing to do with this. But President Clinton answered the questions. I think you'll see when we have the deposition, that our side put the survivors first. We had our members, our lawyers ask questions to get the basic facts and asked difficult questions, and the president answered.

0:41 And it was Sybil, and he set the tone, in my view, for the precedent that the president, President Trump, needs to now come and answer these questions, that Howard Lutnick needs to answer these questions, that other people part of the Epstein class who have been in these files need to come before this committee and ask these questions. And then that's the only way we're going to have accountability and healing. Now, I'll turn it over to our ranking member, Ranking Member Garcia. I'm just going to introduce folks. I'll make some comments at the end.

1:10 I'm going to introduce other members. First we have is Congresswoman Emily Randall. As you heard, President Clinton in his opening statement said that America was built on the idea that no person is above the law, even presidents, especially presidents. And the Democratic members of the Oversight Committee feel the same. No one is above the law and anyone with knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes should absolutely come before the committee to give testimony about what they saw or did, who Who was there? Who was involved?

1:42 Survivors like Charlene Richard, who is my State of the Union guest, deserve the accountability and the truth. The American people deserve accountability and the truth. That means a complete release of the files and cooperation, not obstruction from Pam Bondi. And it means testimony on the record from anyone with information, whether that's Howard Ludnick, Bill Gates, Larry SUMMERS, AND YES, EVEN AND ESPECIALLY DONALD TRUMP. CONCESSMAN STANSBURY. ALL RIGHT, WELL, Well, good afternoon, everyone. I am Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, and I am deeply proud to represent New Mexico's first congressional district where our state has taken action where the federal government has failed.

2:29 We have reopened an investigation through our state attorney general into the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates in New Mexico, as well as passed the first state-level truth commission in this case ever passed in the history of the United States. We will be working very closely to make sure that the state is able to make a full accounting of the crimes in New Mexico. With regards to today's deposition, I want to be clear at the outset that President Clinton as of today has not been accused of a crime.

3:03 There are not public files available that accuse him of a crime. Where WHEREAS THERE ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS THAT DO ALLEGE A CRIME OF PRESIDENT TRUMP. BUT IT IS VERY well established that President Clinton had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and we are treating this investigation extraordinarily seriously. And when you see THE RECORDED DEPOSITION, YOU WILL SEE THAT WE ASKED ALL OF THE HARD QUESTIONS, CENTERING THE SURVIVORS, MAKING SURE THAT WE GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHERE THERE ARE DISCREPANCIES IN THE RECORD, AND UNDERSTANDING HOW NOT only the crimes that Jeffrey Epstein committed could go on, but why there was a culture that surrounded him wherein the rich and powerful turned a blind eye.

3:55 And with that, I turn it back to to our ranking member. Hello, everybody. Congressman Maxwell Frost. First off, I just thank you to President Clinton for coming here today to speak with us. Answering these questions has been helpful for UNREDICTED FILES MYSELF THAT THE REQUIREMENT HAS BEEN CAUGHT IN MULTIPLE LIES AS IT RELATES TO HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JEFFREY EPSTEIN. I CAN TELL YOU, I'VE SEEN UNREDICTED FILES MYSELF THAT THE I DON'T THINK HE IS GOING TO REFUTE HIS ASSERTION THAT HE KICKED OUT JEFFREY EPSTEIN OUT OF MAR-A-LAGO AND THE REASONING WHY HE DID THAT.

4:30 ALSO WALKING OUT OF THIS, I CAN TELL YOU WE ALL NOW HAVE a lot of new questions that we have to raise as it relates to the reasoning on why Donald Trump had a falling out with Jeffrey Epstein in the first place. Another thing is that I saw about an hour ago, Donald Trump in a press conference said that Howard Lutnick is, quote, a very innocent guy. Donald Trump has asserted many times that he knew nothing of Epstein's crimes. If he doesn't know anything about Epstein's crimes, how can you know for sure that Howard Lutnick is, quote, a very innocent guy?

5:05 We have questions for him. And I think what today is showing and what yesterday is showing is, of course, no one's above the law. That includes of President of the United States, and my hope is that our Republican colleagues, as we walk out of here today and go back to D.C., will join us in making sure that we can hear from Howard Lutnik, from Pam Bondi, and from President Trump. Good afternoon, Congresswoman Yasemin Ansari, representing Arizona's 3rd District. think today was a historic day for transparency in the United States of America.

5:36 The fact that we have the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton under oath, speaking to the Oversight Committee and answering questions in a transparent manner is critical. I look forward to the Republican majority listening to our demands of having the transcripts and the videos unedited of both depositions, today's and yesterday's, released immediately because the American public deserves to hear and see these answers for themselves. And ultimately, this demonstrates that nobody is above the law. And my top concern at this moment is the ongoing White House cover-up.

6:15 It is deeply concerning that we are seeing a very coordinated machine from the president of the United States continuously repeating that he has been exonerated. He just repeated that today to members of the Republican Party on the Oversight Committee repeating that lie as well. There are very credible allegations that have been looked into, investigated by the FBI, that the Department of Justice is illegally withholding. Please do not stop asking about this. Why is the DOJ continuing to defy the Epstein Files Transparency Act by refusing to release the full Epstein files, by illegally withholding information, by deleting photos and videos of people like Howard Lutnick.

6:58 This is unacceptable. Donald Trump must be deposed immediately in front of this committee, as do many senior LEVEL OFFICIALS FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION. I'M CONGRESSMAN SUHAS CABRIMONIUM FROM VIRGINIA. IF THERE WAS ANY DOUBT BEFORE TODAY THAT OVERSIGHT DEMOCRATS ARE TREATING THIS INVESTIGATION in a nonpartisan way. It will be put to rest when the transcripts come out. We've been asking the former president the hard questions. To his credit, he has answered every single question. He's not taken the Fifth Amendment. He's been actually quite comfortable.

7:30 And And he's actually given very long, deliberate answers to all these questions. And so we appreciate the former president being here today. And we would like to see the current president come before us as well and give the same kind of transparency that President Clinton Clinton has given us today, and we're going to continue to demand the release of the files and continue to demand transparency of this administration. Two quick points. Wesley Bell, Congressman, Missouri's 1st district. First and foremost, President Clinton came here and answered tough questions.

8:06 I think the victims and survivors, the American public deserve, those deserve a serious investigation, because thus far what we're seeing from Republicans is a very non-serious. As one of my colleagues referred to it as a clown show. And having led serious investigations, I can't disagree. When we hear members from the other other side, coming into a deposition with conclusions, get no evidence to support those conclusions, and then announce to the world that these conclusions must be true. That is unprofessional, it's unethical.

8:48 And at the end of the day, what we're trying to do is get to the bottom of what actually happened so that we can hold any offenders accountable. Democrats are doing that. The president and former first lady have done that, and now it's time for President Trump to do the exact same thing under oath, not when you can just make statements randomly on X or truth social, but under oath, where your right hand is in the air and there are consequences if you don't tell the truth. And so we're going to continue to push for transparency.

9:21 We're going to continue to push for justice, because that's what the American people and the survivors deserve. I think I'll just make a couple brief comments, then I'll answer one or two questions, and then the deposition right now is on a break, and so we'll reconvene. There'll be at some additional hours of questioning by both the Democratic side and the Republican side as the afternoon goes on. I want to just reiterate a couple of things that have been made which are important. The first is that we are thankful that President Clinton came in and answered tough questions from both the minority party and the majority party.

9:56 We also think it's important to note that, and he made some of these statements in his opening statement, he made it clear once again that he does not understand nor do we why we spent so much time yesterday grilling secretary Clinton when she obviously had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein and had never met WE ALSO WANT TO REITERATE, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW, OUR CALL YESTERDAY, BECAUSE OF TRANSPARENCY, IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO RELEASE BOTH SECRETARY CLINTON'S DEPOSITION AND PRESIDENT CLINTON'S DEPOSITION.

10:32 BOTH OF THE CLINTONS ARE COMMITTED TO THESE RECORDS GETTING OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND OVERSIGHT DEMOCRATS AGREE. THE BEST WAY OF GOING FORWARD IS FOR THERE TO BE TRANSPARENCY AND A FULL PUBLIC RECORD, AND WE'RE DEMANDING THAT THAT RECORD NOT BE EDITED, BUT JUST A FULL WE'LL GIVE YOU A FULL RECORDING OF WHAT TRANSPIRED YESTERDAY AND WHAT WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSPIRE TODAY FOR THE COURSE OF THE DAY. AND FINALLY, LET ME JUST ALSO SAY ONCE AGAIN THAT WE HAVE A NEW PRECEDENT IN THIS COUNTRY WHERE WE CAN NOW DEMAND President and former presidents to testify in front of the oversight committee.

11:09 So we are once again demanding that now President Trump was in the Epstein files almost more than anyone else besides Ghislaine Maxwell, answer our questions. This is not a hoax. He has not been exonerated. And we have serious questions for President Trump. With that, we'll answer a couple questions.

11:41 I think the best response was that it was for you to decide and Ben Clinton went on to say the President Trump has never said anything to him to make him think he was involved. Now, obviously we don't have the transcript of the position, but I would love Yeah, I think the best response to that is for you to view the complete record of what actually he said. Which, look, we're not going to disclose what was said because it's not in the The Republicans keep breaking the rules, but I think to what Mr. Frost said earlier, there was, I think that the president, President Clinton, did bring up some additional I DON'T THINK IT'S A COMPLETE ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT ACTUALLY WAS SAID.

12:24 LET'S RELEASE THE FULL TRANSCRIPT SO YOU CAN GET A FULL RECORD OF WHAT ACTUALLY WAS SAID. which brings up some very important new questions about comments that President Trump has actually said in the past. Any other questions? Yes. Mr. and a member, I know in In the former president's statement, he says that there may be times where he says he can't first call. As that, I know you can't really give a lot of details about what was said in the deposition, but how would you characterize when you say he's being cooperative as he answering the majority of questions or a lot of his responses more I can't reply?

12:58 I think everybody would agree that he's been very cooperative and he's actually answering the questions fairly to the best of his ability. He has not taken a pass on pleading the fifth for any questions. He's been very thorough. He's been asked some questions multiple times over. I think you'll see that in the transcript. So he's been very cooperative and in fact is, I don't think he's given ANY SENSE THAT HE'S BEEN UNCOMFORTABLE TO BE THERE. IN FACT, I THINK HE'S BEEN PRETTY INTERESTED IN ANSWERING ALL THE QUESTIONS OF BOTH THE REPUBLICANS AND THE DEMOCRATS.

13:31 WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO WRAP UP, EVERYONE'S GOING TO BREAK AND THEN WE 'LL CONTINUE. THANK YOU I DON'T WANT ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ANY QUESTIONS? HOW CAN PRESIDENT J? ANGEL, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY?

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "House Dems call for Trump and Lutnick to testify over Epstein ties"?

Secretary Clinton (Guest), President Clinton (Guest), Howard Lutnick (Guest), Pam Bondi (Guest), Donald Trump (Guest), Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (Host), Congresswoman Yasemin Ansari (Guest), Congressman Maxwell Frost (Guest).

What is "House Dems call for Trump and Lutnick to testify over Epstein ties" about?

Democrats press for testimony from Trump, Howard Lutnick, and others connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, insisting on full cooperation, disclosure of files, and questioning those with knowledge to ensure accountability and survivors’ rights. They argue no one is above the law and call for comprehensive, unobstructed testimony and disclosures.

What is mentioned in this MS NOW episode?

17 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Oversight Committee, Howard Lutnick, Ghislain Maxwell. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "House Dems call for Trump and Lutnick to testify over Epstein ties"?

The episode runs 14 min; the transcript is about 2,218 words in 23 timestamped sections.

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