The next is the transcript of the interview with Rep. Robert Garcia, Democrat of California, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Feb. 15, 2026.
ED O’KEEFE: Welcome again to Face the Nation. We flip now to the highest Democrat on the Home Oversight Committee, California Congressman Robert Garcia, who joins us this morning from Lengthy Seaside, the place he was the mayor. Congressman, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.
REP. ROBERT GARCIA: Certain factor, thanks.
ED O’KEEFE: I wish to begin actual fast since you are on the committee that primarily has oversight of all the authorities. You are Democrats. You do not have management of the panel. You have held some unofficial hearings on ICE operations nationwide. I am curious when you’re speaking to the Republicans in any respect about doing something to analyze allegations of wrongdoing of ICE and the Border Patrol as they proceed to hold on immigration enforcement operations.
REP. GARCIA: Look, I believe it is simply been very lately we really see increasingly more Republicans really communicate out and start to indicate some stage of braveness. ICE, CBP, DHS is totally uncontrolled. We’ve got heard, not simply in hearings, however definitely in taking a look at what’s occurring throughout this nation and folk speaking and telling their tales. We’re speaking about U.S, residents which can be being shot. We’re speaking about U.S. veterans which can be being detained for no cause. Youngsters which can be being deported as younger as 4 or 5 years previous, sending to detention in different instances, as we have seen. And so I believe you are starting to see some Republicans really present concern. However, proper now, DHS is inflicting terror throughout this nation, and Donald Trump has turned not simply DHS, however ICE particularly, which we now know is bigger than it is ever been, into his personal private police pressure.
ED O’KEEFE: However you understand of no Republican committee chairman presently planning to analyze all these allegations, proper? Is that what you are saying?
REP. GARCIA: Oh, there isn’t any chairmen on the market which have come out publicly. Now, you start to listen to some Republicans present some concern, however they should present extra braveness. I imply, Mike Johnson, on the finish of the day, does no matter Donald Trump needs him to do–
ED O’KEEFE: –Yeah–
REP. GARCIA: –and Republicans have to go on the market and begin talking the reality of what is occurring on the road.
ED O’KEEFE: So the large cause I wished to talk with you this morning is, after all, you are now making an attempt to conduct a fairly aggressive assessment of the Epstein paperwork, as they’ve now been launched by the Justice Division. There have been about three and a half million paperwork launched, and based mostly on a CBS Information assessment, to date there would not seem like sufficient proof to criminally cost anybody else. Saturday evening, the Division of Justice launched this legally required record of all authorities officers and politically uncovered individuals within the Epstein information. Greater than 300 names on the record which they acknowledge are people who find themselves right here listed in all kinds of contexts. DOJ says they’re doing this ask as a result of it was a part of the regulation. It lists everybody from Beyonce to Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Princess Diana, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama, Mike Pence, the Trumps, Mark Zuckerberg, amongst others, as a result of they got here up in a method or one other within the paperwork. A number of questions, why was this requested for? And are you conscious but of any names being not on this record that needs to be on the record?
REP. GARCIA: We’re reviewing that record, after all, however let’s, let’s be actually clear, it is a large cowl up being led by the White Home and the DOJ. The truth that 50%, half of the Epstein information haven’t been launched to the general public and to the Congress, and of these which have been launched, the precise information which have been out within the public or that we have seen, they’re overly redacted. Lots of the survivors and victims, their names are literally showing with the place there isn’t any safety for the survivors. But, the names of billionaires, the names of oldsters that may very well be co-conspirators that helped fund Jeffrey Epstein, that might have really been concerned within the terror and rape, as we all know, abuse of girls and kids, a few of these names proceed to be redacted and guarded. Why will not the DOJ really observe the regulation? Not simply of what was handed by Congress however the subpoena that was put in place by the Oversight Committee throughout the summer season. And so this continues to be a canopy up, and the American public understands that they proceed to cover and defend and deflect. Why does Donald Trump, the president proceed to, in our opinion, to guard these highly effective males? We’re not going to cease till we get justice for the survivors.
ED O’KEEFE: The Justice Division says they launched every little thing they will, and the remainder are protected by legal professional privilege, comprise sufferer data or comprise youngster sexual assault materials. I do know there’s been a forwards and backwards in current days a few handful of names that have been redacted, ought to have been unredacted. Seems, they did not have something to do with it. They only occurred to be in an occasion or in a photograph with Jeffrey Epstein, mainly. However I wish to ask you about your investigation, a congressional investigation. You informed the legal professional basic on Friday, it might take greater than seven years for members to examine the redactions on these three million pages, which sounds unrealistic, however is it your intent to assessment all of these paperwork to see what different data is there? What different names are both talked about or lacking?
REP. GARCIA: Completely. Look, we have now a fantastic workforce on the committee that is reviewing, proper now, each single doc, going via all of the information which can be accessible to the general public, taking a look at redactions, making an attempt to know and piecing collectively an investigation. And it is not simply the paperwork. We’re interviewing survivors. We’re speaking to key witnesses.
ED O’KEEFE: Proper.
REP. GARCIA: We’ll be holding hearings sooner or later as effectively. So all of that’s a part of this, however on the finish of the day, they haven’t given us all of the paperwork. So till we really get the total set of information, this isn’t going to be a whole investigation, and the duvet up that is being led by the White Home and Pam Bondi is constant, and the American public sees this, and so they should launch all the information.
ED O’KEEFE: All proper. Effectively, working with what you’ve got received to date, what are you searching for particularly? Are there names? Are there occasions? Are there conditions to make clear that they have been launched or that they are on the market? What’s it you are searching for?
REP. GARCIA: Look, there’s a wide range of issues. Primary is we wish to make sure that all of the names of the boys that both have been co-conspirators, those who themselves terrorized and brutalized girls and kids, these individuals should be uncovered. That work has begun. An extra piece of that is who’s financing Jeffrey Epstein? So, for instance, this upcoming week, we’ll be interviewing Les Wexner, who is probably going have been the one largest benefactor in offering monetary assist to Jeffrey Epstein. The place did he get all of his cash and for what? And the place was that cash going? That’s one other important a part of this investigation. We have subpoenaed additionally the financial institution information, so we’re going via all these and that data is important to our investigation. After which, after all, is who was concerned within the trafficking of women and girls? It wasn’t simply Ghislaine Maxwell. Why have been there so many ladies being attacked in locations throughout the nation, whether or not it was New York, but additionally Palm Seaside. You take a look at Mar-a-Lago, why was Mar-a-Lago a location the place girls proceed to be trafficked from? So these are questions that we have to ask. We’ve got questions for, for President Trump. And the broader- I believe the broader challenge right here is why wasn’t this investigated when these, when these, when these accusations and these tales really have been heard by the FBI years in the past? The place was the investigation? The place was the DOJ? And this, by the best way, is a matter not simply in Republican administrations but additionally ones led by Democrats. We’ve got to get solutions.
ED O’KEEFE: Yeah. You talked about Wexner, who you are interviewing this coming week. Have you ever heard again but from the person previously referred to as Prince Andrew?
REP. GARCIA: We’ve got not, however we completely have despatched letters. We wish to really speak to Prince Andrew And it is not simply Prince And- former Prince Andrew.
ED O’KEEFE: Proper.
REP. GARCIA: I imply, what’s occurring proper now across- over within the UK is fairly gorgeous, and it is really a present of what is- what occurs when the federal government listens to the general public.
ED O’KEEFE: Certain.
REP. GARCIA: There are literally issues occurring to these have been concerned. That instance, that is occurring over there and in different components of the world, must occur in our nation, and the truth that the White Home continues to cowl up for these information and for these males, I believe, is shameful. Launch all of the information at present, and last item, they hold claiming that, oh, effectively, there’s a, you understand, there’s attorney-client privilege or there’s interagency communication we will not put out to the general public. That is perhaps true within the Epstein Transparency Act, however it’s not true within the subpoena that requested for the very same paperwork that was handed final July and August. And so there isn’t a cause why Congress should not have all the paperwork in entrance of us proper now.
ED O’KEEFE: Let me ask you about just a few extra particular names. I’ve heard concerning the cowl up that you simply’re alleging by the White Home. Let’s work via a few of these names. Peter Mandelson, the previous British ambassador to the U.S. You heard again from him but?
REP. GARCIA: We’ve got not, however we completely wish to speak to him.
(CROSSTALK)
ED O’KEEFE: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. He had mentioned in an interview final 12 months he hadn’t seen Howard Lutnick in years. Seems, he went to see his island off the U.S. Virgin Islands along with his household again in 2012, and he had enterprise pursuits with him in 2014. Are you working with Republican Chairman Jim Comer to deliver Howard Lutnick in for questioning?
REP. GARCIA: We’ve got requested Jamie Comer to usher in Howard Lutnick, and we have now but no, had no response. Not solely did he go to the island, he had tons of communication with Jeffrey Epstein after it was already recognized that Jeffrey Epstein was primarily convicted for preying on kids. So it’s, it’s shameful that he is really in our authorities. He shouldn’t be the Commerce Secretary. He ought to come speak to the Oversight Committee.
ED O’KEEFE: The Oversight Committee additionally voted final month to carry Invoice and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for failing to indicate up for related testimony. They’re now scheduled to seem later this month for closed door testimony. What is the level of getting them are available?
REP. GARCIA: Look, we have mentioned from day one which we’re keen to speak to anyone, whether or not they’re Republicans or Democrats, whoever they’re, no matter, how highly effective they’re. You probably have details about Jeffrey Epstein, we wish to speak to you. We have been saying that about, about President Clinton for some time. I am glad that he is coming in. Look, the one factor I am going to say, I believe each President Clinton and Secretary Clinton have additionally added that they want these hearings to be public.
ED O’KEEFE: Proper.
REP. GARCIA: That is one thing that we completely assist. We’ve got questions for, for President Clinton. We’ll be asking these in New York within the weeks forward, as you understand, however there’s lots of people that we have to communicate with, and the extra that we are able to have these conversations in public, I believe it is higher for the American individuals. It is what they wish to see, and so they wish to perceive what was the reality about Epstein, who he knew, the place he received his cash from and why has there been a continuing deal with overlaying up his crimes by so many in authorities?
ED O’KEEFE: Congressman Robert Garcia, the highest Democrat on the Home Oversight Committee, thanks for spending a part of Sunday with us. We admire it, and we’ll be proper again.
