House Oversight calls prison guard on duty during Epstein's death to testify

• Oversight Chairman James Comer's (R-Ky.) request that the guard, Tova Noel, appear before the panel marks the latest step in the committee's months-long investigation into Epstein.
• The probe has included depositions with high-profile figures connected to the financier, including Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Driving the news: President Trump's Justice Department and FBI concluded after an investigation last year that they have no evidence that Epstein blackmailed powerful figures, kept a "client list" or was murdered.

• That prompted Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to introduce the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which has led to the DOJ's release of millions of files.

Zoom in: The two guards on duty were accused of sleeping on the job and browsing the internet instead of making their required rounds.

• Epstein's cell was 15 feet from the guards when he was found dead by suicide in August 2019.

• Noel was later charged with falsifying reports, but the charges were dismissed in 2022.

State of play: Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell told the DOJ in an interview last year that she thinks Epstein was murdered.

• "I do not believe he died by suicide, no," Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in an interview.
• Prior to his death, Epstein was removed from suicide watch after being evaluated by a doctoral-level psychologist, the DOJ said.
• The cameras in the corrections facility were not working on the night of his death.