The House Oversight Committee has widened its probe into ties surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell by summoning seven more people to testify in Washington, including Bill Gates, Leon Black, and Kathryn Ruemmler. Chairman James Comer issued new letters after recent interviews with high-profile figures, signaling a push for more first-hand answers and paper trails. The move brings scheduled transcribed interviews and public scrutiny of relationships that touch business leaders, former White House staff and close aides to Epstein’s circle.
Chairman Comer, leading the Republican-majority panel, wrote to each person explaining the committee’s interest and why their testimony matters. Comer told them, “Due to public reporting, documents released by the Department of Justice, and documents obtained by the Committee, the Committee believes you have information that will assist in its investigation.” That line makes clear the committee expects documents and direct answers rather than vague denials.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is due to sit for a transcribed interview on May 19, and his office says he will comply. A spokesperson said, “Gates welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee,” and stressed that he did not witness or participate in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct. Gates has acknowledged poor judgment in social interactions with Epstein and has answered questions about personal relationships that surfaced in previously disclosed emails.
Documents released in the course of past investigations showed emails and other records that spurred many of these follow-up requests, and news reports have suggested aspects of Gates’s contacts with Epstein that demand clarification. Gates has publicly stated about his own mistakes that “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” and he also described himself as “foolish” for spending time with Epstein. Those direct lines are now being tested under oath and in transcribed sessions where Republicans on the committee are pushing for plainspoken answers.
Billionaire Leon Black has been called to testify on May 13 after his name surfaced in lawsuits and reporting about long-standing relationships with Epstein. The new subpoena targets details of payments, tax advice, and social ties that commentators have argued need independent scrutiny. Black previously left his firm and has faced allegations in a high-profile civil filing that he denies, but the committee’s interest is squarely on documentary evidence and what he can explain under oath.
Two former Epstein employees, Lesley Groff and Sarah Kellen, and a former Clinton aide, Doug Band, were also summoned as part of the broad net the committee is casting. Those witnesses could provide sharp, operational details about how Epstein and Maxwell managed their circles and introduced associates. Republicans leading the oversight effort frame these interviews as a way to penetrate the private networks that sheltered abuse and to identify institutional failures that allowed it to persist.
Kathryn Ruemmler, who once served as White House counsel and later worked at a major financial institution, has been asked to appear and has indicated cooperation. A spokesperson said, “Ruemmler welcomes the opportunity to appear before the committee,” and added, “She has done nothing wrong and had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal activity on his part.” The committee wants to examine any communications, gifts, or advice that may illuminate whether private counsel actions intersected with Epstein’s wrongdoing.
The committee’s strategy is straightforward: collect testimony, tie it to documents, and force public disclosure of what had been opaque relationships among power players. Republicans on the panel emphasize accountability and transparency, arguing that no amount of celebrity or influence should close the book on probing these networks. That approach has led to additional letters and scheduled transcribed interviews with people who once moved in the same orbit as Epstein and Maxwell.
For the public, these hearings are meant to do more than settle headlines; they aim to create a public record that withstands evasive answers and sealed settlements. The committee is asking for detailed recollections and records, and its leaders say those records will help determine whether former practices enabled abuse. With high-profile names now on the calendar, the oversight effort is set to test how fully government and private sectors will cooperate in reconstructing who knew what and when.
