Comer threatens to subpoena Dershowitz after he refuses Epstein testimony

Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz is facing renewed pressure from the powerful House Oversight Committee after refusing to testify before its bipartisan probe into Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., warned Tuesday the panel would pursue "compulsory" action if Dershowitz does not sit for a transcribed video interview with congressional investigators in early September.

The letter comes after Dershowitz, who served as Epstein's defense lawyer during his controversial 2008 plea deal involving the solicitation of a minor for prostitution, backed out of a voluntary transcribed interview slated for July 20.

"On July 15, 2026, your counsel notified the Committee that you ‘cannot now testify in Congress concerning the matters in which [the Committee] are interested," Comer wrote in the letter. "Your counsel failed to provide a reason for your refusal to testify."

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"When Committee staff followed up with your counsel via email on July 15 and 17, 2026, your counsel again failed to provide an explanation for your refusal to attend your transcribed interview," the Kentucky Republican added. "This is unacceptable."

Comer is requesting that Dershowitz now participate in a videotaped transcribed interview on Sept. 2.

"The Committee will not tolerate any further delay," he added. "If you fail to adhere to this request, the Committee will explore all available tools at its disposal, including the use of the compulsory process."

Dershowitz has recently expressed interest in testifying about his ties to Epstein — a point Comer repeatedly points to in the letter. He has denied any wrongdoing.

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"I’m very proud of my role in representing Epstein," Dershowitz said during an interview with NewsNation in June. "I’m prepared to testify about everything. I offered to testify, volunteered for the past few months. I will personally not invoke privilege. I have nothing to hide."

But he told The Harvard Crimson last week that his attorneys told him that he could not testify to the committee, citing unspecified legal prohibitions.

Comer's letter comes as a bipartisan group of lawmakers has subpoenaed several high-profile individuals to testify before the committee as part of its yearlong probe, including former Attorney General Pam Bondi, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Other high-profile figures who knew Epstein have recently participated in voluntary interviews with the committee, including tech billionaire Bill Gates, former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and one-time Clinton aide Doug Band.