A congressional panel released a trove of documents related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein after the Trump administration handed them over.
The House Oversight Committee released 33,295 pages of Epstein files on Tuesday that the Justice Department gave the panel in response to a subpoena. The committee’s decision to release the files follows the Trump administration’s choice not to do so, a move that generated outrage among the MAGA faithful and brought renewed interest to Epstein’s sordid history.
All of the documents are available on two separate web pages, and the Oversight Committee will continue to receive records from the Justice Department. The documents contain redactions to protect victims and prevent the disclosure of child sexual abuse materials.
“I want to publicly thank the White House for turning over so many documents thus far,” Comer told reporters. He said the committee is uploading the documents as quickly as possible for “full transparency” and promised to hold bad actors accountable with the committee’s Epstein investigation.
On Tuesday afternoon, Oversight lawmakers met with a group of Epstein victims on Capitol Hill to hear their stories. Comer told reporters they learned of “additional names” to bring in for interviews as part of the Epstein investigation.
The Oversight Committee’s bipartisan Epstein investigation kicked off with subpoenas last month after the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files brought fresh attention to Epstein’s sex trafficking. Comer has subpoenaed several former attorneys general and FBI directors to provide closed-door testimony about the Epstein files.
Instead of having them all testify, he is allowing former Attorneys General Jeff Sessions, Alberto Gonzales, and Eric Holder to submit sworn depositions stating they have no information to share about Epstein, as NR previously reported. One of the AGs, Bill Barr, already testified and told the Oversight Committee he saw no evidence Trump committed criminal acts during his 15-year-long friendship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Trump and Epstein’s relationship ended in the mid-2000s before Epstein’s conviction of sex crimes in Florida. Although Epstein was convicted of state charges, he signed a non-prosecution agreement with federal authorities to avoid federal charges and end an FBI investigation into his activities. Former U.S. Attorney for South Florida Alex Acosta, the architect of the infamous Epstein deal, will be testifying for Comer’s investigation later this month.
Moreover, Comer has subpoenaed former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Bill Clinton was a friend of Epstein’s and has denied any allegations of wrongdoing. Comer has also subpoenaed Epstein’s estate and said the late sex criminal’s estate is willing to cooperate with the investigation.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime girlfriend and accomplice, is negotiating with the Oversight Committee to potentially testify later this year. Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking alongside Epstein. She is appealing her sentence to the Supreme Court and seeks a pardon from Trump.
In July, Maxwell gave an interview to Trump’s Justice Department and praised the president effusively based on their interactions during his friendship with Epstein. Maxwell gave little new information about Epstein’s activities over several hours of discussion with DOJ officials.
Epstein died in August 2019 while sitting in a New York City jail facility ahead of his trial for federal sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but many observers have disputed that conclusion. The Trump administration took the same position and concluded Epstein committed suicide, much to the chagrin of Trump’s online cheerleaders. Furthermore, the Trump administration found that Epstein did not have a “client list” of close associates and did not use his sex trafficking for blackmail purposes.
Trump was one of many powerful connections Epstein had in the worlds of business, politics, and entertainment. For that reason, Trump is one of many prominent people listed in the federal government’s Epstein files, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Trump is currently suing the Journal for a separate story it did on a letter Trump wrote to Epstein for the latter’s 50th birthday. Trump has accused the Journal of reporting on a fake letter and defaming him. Nobody has accused Trump of wrongdoing in relation to his relationship with Epstein.