Congress's House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena to Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition to occur at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee on August 11.

This development emerged as a federal judge in Florida rejected a Justice Department application to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation.

"The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr. Epstein's cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny," Comer wrote in a statement on Wednesday.

"While the Justice Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to your and Mr Epstein's cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government's enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr Epstein," he added.

The swift rejection thwarted attempts by the Trump administration to deflect criticism regarding its management of documents relating to the sex offender, who had previously been associated with the president, reports the Mirror US.

Maxwell, now 62, gained notoriety as Epstein's associate and was imprisoned in September 2022.

She is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking at a federal Florida prison.

Following Epstein's death in 2019, Maxwell remains the final potential link to his complete criminal activities.

In a bid to restore public confidence following the Epstein document controversy, Donald Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Tuesday she is considering dispatching legal representatives to visit Maxwell in custody.

Bondi released a statement from her deputy, Todd Blanche, on X, "At the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department.

"I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days. Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now," the statement continued.

Ghislaine Maxwell's solicitor David Oscar Markus confirmed to CNN today, "I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case."