The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday formally asked the Justice Department to turn over documents related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes, part of a congressional push that lawmakers believe could expose interactions with former President Donald Trump and other powerful figures from past administrations.
The Republican-dominated committee also issued formal subpoenas to former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former senior law enforcement officials.
The moves demonstrate that interest in the Epstein archives remains intense despite the committee members' absence from Washington over the past month.
Former President Trump denied knowledge of Epstein’s wrongdoing and said he cut ties with him years ago. He has repeatedly tried to challenge the Justice Department’s decision not to release the full investigation report, but those efforts have been rejected by members of both major parties, including Republicans.
Since Epstein's death in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, conservative conspiracy theorists have been actively discussing the possible evidence gathered by the investigation and who was involved.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee previously backed a motion to subpoena the Clintons, who are Democrats, and also requested information about communications between the Biden administration and the Justice Department regarding Epstein.
The committee also called for sworn testimony from former Justice Department secretaries who served under the last three presidents: Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Alberto Gonzales.
Former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller were also called in.
The initiative to request documents from the Justice Department on the Epstein case initially came from Democrats. They were later joined by individual Republicans, who organized the procedure through a division of the Oversight Committee.
“Democrats are committed to transparency and to confronting Trump’s corrupt schemes,” Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said last month. “Why is Trump hiding the Epstein material?”
The committee had previously issued a summons to Ghislaine Maxwell, a former Epstein accomplice who was serving time in Florida for arranging for the financier to sexually exploit minors. She was recently transferred to a prison in Texas.
But the committee's chairman, James Comer, a Republican, has indicated a willingness to delay her questioning until the Supreme Court verdict on her appeal. Maxwell maintains her conviction was wrongful.
In formal letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi and other former officials, Mr. Comer emphasized that the Epstein and Maxwell cases “have generated significant public outcry and require careful analysis.”
“As the agency works to identify and publicly disclose information about these cases, Congress has a responsibility to enforce federal laws against sexual exploitation, particularly in the context of the investigations into Epstein and Maxwell,” he said.
The deadline for providing the requested documents by the Ministry of Justice is August 19, although such requirements are often adjusted during negotiations.
Former officials are scheduled to testify in August, September and October. Hillary Clinton is scheduled for October 9, Bill Clinton for October 14.
While former presidents, including Trump, have been subpoenaed before Congress before, none have been forced to appear before committees.
Bill Clinton was among the prominent figures who interacted with Epstein before the latter's criminal prosecution in Florida began two decades ago. None of the victims who accused Epstein of sexual abuse linked their claims to the former president.
One of the victims, Virginia Giuffre, had previously mentioned in an interview flying with Clinton and flirting with Trump, but later denied the allegations, calling them a journalistic error.
Clinton previously said through a spokesman that while he used Epstein's plane, he never visited his residence and was not informed of the crimes.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
