Justice Department to begin turning over Jeffrey Epstein probe files, House chairman says
'There are many records in DOJ's custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted,' Comer said in a statement posted on X, adding that the first files are expected to arrive Aug. 22. 'I appreciate the Trump Administration's commitment to transparency and efforts to provide the American people with information about this matter.'
The Justice Department was not immediately available for comment on what records it might turn over.
On Aug. 5, Comer issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for records related to Epstein, the longtime Trump friend who died by suicide in 2019 as he was awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Republicans on the House Committee have also issued deposition subpoenas to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as former top federal law enforcement officials including James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller, William Barr, Jeff Sessions and Alberto Gonzales. Those are scheduled to get underway this month.
Those subpoenas seek testimony 'related to horrific crimes perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein,' Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said when they were issued.
The Oversight Committee voted July 23 to issue the subpoenas and to also seek the DOJ files, answering calls from lawmakers and voters alike for more information on Epstein and who else might have been involved in his underage sex-trafficking ring.
While Trump supporters and MAGA influencers have said they want to see the names of prominent Democrats rumored to be in the files, Trump himself is likely in them, at least on flight logs from Epstein's private jet, according to already disclosed court records and other documents.
The DOJ promise to hand over files follows weeks of intensifying drama and rare dispute between President Donald Trump, who had a long friendship with Epstein, and his MAGA base.
Last month, the DOJ and FBI issued a joint statement saying they would not release Epstein investigative documents in their possession after months of promises by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to make that information public.
The subpoenas appear to cover when Epstein allegedly sexually assaulted young women with the help of associate Ghislaine Maxwell, which dates back more than two decades.
More: Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell quietly moved out of Florida federal prison
Maxwell was interviewed over two days last month about what she knows about the case by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former Trump personal defense lawyer.
The interviews were held in Tallahassee, Florida, where the former British socialite is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. She has since been moved to a minimum-security federal prison 'camp' in Texas, prompting criticism from Democrats who charge that the Trump administration is giving her preferential treatment.
It's unclear what exactly Maxwell told Blanche during the closed-door interviews, but her defense attorney, David Markus, said his client answered all of the government's questions, including those of about 100 different people.
On July 23, a federal judge in Florida rejected a bid from the Justice Department to unseal grand jury testimony from 2005 and 2007 tied to a federal investigation into Epstein, who hanged himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, an autopsy concluded.
Maxwell is seeking to overturn her conviction and has filed a petition with the Supreme Court, which the Justice Department has opposed. Markus said he believes Ghislaine deserves relief and has appealed online to Trump for consideration, but said no such offer has been made.
When asked if he would consider pardoning Maxwell, Trump told reporters, 'It's something I haven't thought about."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DOJ to begin turning over Jeffrey Epstein probe files: GOP chairman
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