House panel approves subpoenas of DOJ for Epstein files
The federal law enforcement subcommittee also approved a motion to subpoena several high-profile Democratic officials, including former President Clinton, for their testimony.
The panel approved the Epstein motion, offered by Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), in an 8-2 vote, with Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Scott Perry (Pa.), and Brian Jack (Ga.) joining Democrats in favor.
'Today, Oversight Democrats fought for transparency and accountability on the Epstein files and won. House Republicans didn't make it easy, but the motion was finally passed to force the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files,' Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement.
'Let's be clear: this is a huge win for the American people. The public deserves to know who was complicit in Epstein's heinous crimes, including people with immense power in our government. Today's vote was just the first step toward accountability, and we will continue pushing for the truth.'
An amendment to Lee's motion from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) to include the release of all communications between President Biden or Biden Administration officials and the Department of Justice related to Jeffrey Epstein was adopted by voice vote. And an amendment from Mace to redacting the names of victims and any personally identifiable information of victims, as well as any possible material depicting child abuse, was also adopted by voice vote.
The committee also approved by voice vote a motion from Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) to 'expand the full committee's investigation' into the Epstein matter by also issuing subpoenas to a number of high profile former Democratic officials: Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, former FBI Director and Special Counsel Robert Meuller.
Perry's motion also called to subpoena three former GOP officials: Attorney General Bill Barr and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who served under Trump; and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.
The motions for subpoenas come after the full Oversight committee on Tuesday approved a subpoena for Epstein's ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in prison for aiding Epstein in child sex trafficking. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) officially issued that subpoena on Wednesday.
The flurry of subpoenas come as House GOP leaders moved to send members home for August recess a day early after disputes about the Epstein matter — and an unwillingness to face Democratic votes trying to squeeze Republicans on the Epstein issue in the House Rules Committee — stymied the House.
But Democrats are seeing success in getting Republican support for their Epstein-related amendments in the Oversight panel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Miami Heat employee accused of stealing jerseys worth millions — including LeBron James'
A former Miami Heat security officer has been accused in federal court of stealing millions of dollars worth of team memorabilia — including a game-worn LeBron James jersey from the 2013 NBA Finals — and selling them to online brokers. Appearing Wednesday at U.S. Superior Court for the Southern District of Florida, retired Miami police officer Marcus Thomas Perez pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. Perez, 62, faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. His attorney, Robert Buschel, declined to comment when asked on Wednesday by The Times. Read more: Hernández: Lakers' commitment to Luka Doncic raises questions about LeBron James' role According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Miami field office of the FBI, Perez worked on game-day security detail for the Heat from 2016-2021, and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022-2025. While employed by the Heat, the press release states, Perez "was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room" where "hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia" were being stored to be displayed at a future Heat museum. "During his employment, Perez accessed the equipment room multiple times to steal over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, which he then sold to various online marketplaces," the press release states. "Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value." Read more: LeBron James and Maverick Carter meet with Nikola Jokic's agent, who is starting a new league One example listed in the press release is the jersey that James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, during which the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight championship. Perez allegedly sold the jersey for around $100,000; it was sold in an online auction for $3.7 million in 2023. In executing a search warrant at Perez's home April 3, law enforcement "seized nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia," all of which the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility, according to the press release. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Hill
23 minutes ago
- The Hill
GOP Reps. Burchett, Ogles eye Senate seat amid Blackburn gubernatorial bid
Sen. Marsha Blackburn's (R-Tenn.) gubernatorial bid has kicked off a shadow race for her Senate seat in the event she wins the new office, with Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) each eyeing the seat. Burchett confirmed to The Hill that he would be interested in the Senate seat if Blackburn was elected governor. CNN first reported Burchett's interest in the seat. Ogles, too, said he would be interested in the Senate seat. 'Definitely interested in it. I've expressed my interest,' Ogles told The Hill. Ogles joked about going up against Burchett for the position: 'We'll probably do some sort of steer wrestling or something like that.' The shadow race for Blackburn's Senate seat kicked off just hours after she officially announced her gubernatorial bid on Wednesday. Tennessee law dictates that in the event of a U.S. Senate vacancy, a successor would be elected in the next regular November election to fulfill the remainder of the term. But if the vacancy 'will deprive the state of its full representation at any time congress may be in session,' the governor has the ability to appoint a successor until the special election is held. That means Blackburn, who was just elected to a six-year term in 2024, could potentially appoint her own successor if she wins the 2026 gubernatorial election. Burchett said she has not talked to Blackburn about his interest, but noted his long relationship with her. 'We sat beside each other in the state Senate. Literally, she was on my right hand, I was on her left. We've had a great friendship,' Burchett said. 2024 Election Coverage But that timeline depends on when Blackburn would resign her Senate seat if she wins the Republican gubernatorial primary, which is on Aug. 6, 2026 – which would put her on track to win the seat. If she resigned before being sworn in as governor, current Republican Gov. Bill Lee (R) could have the power to appoint a temporary replacement. Blackburn also does not yet have the nomination locked up. She will face Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn), who announced his bid for governor in March, in the Republican primary for the gubernatorial nomination. Tennessee is a Republican stronghold that Trump won by nearly 40 points in 2024, and it is nearly certain that the next governor and senator in the state if Blackburn leaves the office will be Republicans.
The Hill
23 minutes ago
- The Hill
Paxton opens door to FBI involvement in Texas fight after initial pushback
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Wednesday signaled he was open to getting the FBI involved in the redistricting battle after initially pushing back on arguments for the law enforcement agency to intervene. 'I'm in full support of using every possible method to secure a quorum and hold lawless Democrat legislators accountable for abandoning Texans, including involving federal authorities and the FBI,' Paxton said in a statement to The Hill. His comments come after an appearance he made on Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast on Tuesday, in which he criticized Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) call to have the FBI help bring back Texas Democrats who had left the state to break quorum, thereby stalling GOP efforts to advance newly drawn congressional maps. 'Let me first say, this is a state issue,' Paxton said, when asked by Bannon about the state of play in Texas and calls for the FBI to get involved. 'I don't know what the FBI would have to do with this, nothing. This is a purely state issue, so we are focused on alternatives that we can implement at the state level,' Paxton continued. Paxton noted that one of those options would be to arrest the lawmakers. He noted that if lawmakers don't return when the legislature meets on Friday, 'then we are going to file motions to try to remove some of these legislators from office.' Bannon asked Paxton if arresting the lawmakers meant having Texas Rangers travel to Illinois to arrest the Texas Democrats who fled or if the rangers needed to be within the state to arrest lawmakers. 'So Steve, I can tell you in a couple days exactly what that means,' Paxton said. 'I can't tell you right now. It's part of what's going on.' Paxton's apparent reversal on the issue comes as he mounts an increasingly tense primary challenge against Cornyn in next year's Senate race. Cornyn, who has trailed Paxton in recent polls, wrote a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday urging the FBI to try and help Republicans bring back Democrats who fled the state earlier this week. 'The FBI has tools to aid state law enforcement when parties cross state lines, including to avoid testifying or fleeing a scene of a crime,' Cornyn wrote. 'Specifically, I am concerned that legislators who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses.' President Trump said later on Tuesday that the FBI 'may have to' get involved. 'No, I know they want them back, not only the attorney general, the governor wants them back,' the president said. 'If you look, I mean, the governor of Texas is demanding they come back. So, a lot of people are demanding they come back.' Paxton announced on Tuesday that he would be seeking judicial orders 'declaring that runaway Democrats who fail to appear by the Speaker's deadline have vacated their office.' 'The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don't show up to work, you get fired,' Paxton said. But Abbott has already started the process of removing lawmakers, filing an emergency petition on Tuesday to the Texas Supreme Court in an effort to oust Texas House Democratic Caucus Leader Gene Eu from his seat. Paxton has been running to Cornyn's right in the race. The primary is the latest in a nasty and long-simmering battle between the two men. Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak criticized Paxton's initial comments on Bannon's podcast, saying in a statement that he was 'undermining President Trump and Sen. Cornyn's effort to enlist the FBI to give Texas law enforcement additional tools to locate and return these AWOL Democratic House members.' 'Memo to Ken Paxton: The adults who are in Texas and on the job will handle it from here. Go back to the hotel pool,' he added. Paxton hit back at Mackowiak, calling Cornyn and his campaign 'transparently desperate.' 'While I'm focused on doing everything in my power to actually solve the problem, John Cornyn and his team are obsessively making bizarre posts about me on X,' Paxton said. 'It's so transparently desperate that you almost have to feel bad for him.'
