Robert Garcia calls for 'immediate' testimony from Trump in Epstein probe
WASHINGTON, DC: Representative Robert Garcia (Calif), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has demanded President Donald Trump’s testimony before the committee as a probe into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein goes on.
The 48-year-old politician called for the president to testify under oath as Hillary Clinton went for her deposition in her hometown, Chappaqua, New York, on Thursday, February 26. Bill Clinton will also testify on Friday.
REP GARCIA: “Secretary Clinton never met Jeffrey Epstein. She never visited the island. She never flew on his plane.”
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 26, 2026
“She also had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's horrific crimes. So zero knowledge of any wrongdoing — you've also all heard that directly from her.” pic.twitter.com/57vs2H04Kd
Robert Garcia calls for Donald Trump's deposition
Speaking with reporters during a break in Hillary's deposition, Garcia said, “This committee has now set a new precedent about talking to presidents and former presidents.”
“We’re demanding immediately that we ask President Trump to testify in front of our committee and be deposed in front of Oversight Republicans and Democrats,” he stated.
White House claims Donald Trump's innocence
Garcia also pointed to an NPR report that claimed the “Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump.”
He told reporters, “We want to understand right now, where the missing FBI files are. These are files that accuse the president of the United States of serious accusations and the fact that they’re not in the files, and have been apparently either removed or discarded, is incredibly concerning.”
However, the White House has defended the commander-in-chief, asserting that the accusations against him lack credibility, while the DOJ said it was evaluating the matter.
DOJ reviewing alleged inconsistency in Epstein files
A statement issued by the DOJ read, “As the Department of Justice has consistently said and has done since the January 30, 2026 publication of the Epstein files, if any member of the public, including victims, reported concerns with information in the pages, the Department would review, make any corrections, and republish online.”
As the Department of Justice has consistently said and has done since the January 30, 2026 publication of the Epstein files, if any member of the public, including victims, reported concerns with information in the pages, the Department would review, make any corrections, and…
— DOJ Rapid Response (@DOJRR47) February 25, 2026
The statement further noted that “several individuals and news outlets have recently flagged files related to documents produced to Ghislaine Maxwell in discovery of her criminal case that they claim appear to be missing.”
“As with all documents that have been flagged by the public, the Department is currently reviewing files within that category of the production. Should any document be found to have been improperly tagged in the review process and is responsive to the Act, the Department will of course publish it, consistent with the law,” it added.
Hillary Clinton says she knew Ghislaine Maxwell 'casually as an acquaintance'
Meanwhile, after her deposition, Hillary denied any link with Epstein. She, however, admitted that she knew Ghislaine Maxwell “casually as an acquaintance.”
The former first lady also added that she "had no idea about their [Epstein and Maxwell] criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr Epstein."
