The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday subpoenaed the Justice Department for documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe could uncover ties to President Donald Trump and other former top officials.
The Republican-controlled committee also issued subpoenas to former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former top law enforcement officials.
The committee's actions showed that even with members absent from Washington for a month, interest in the Epstein files remains high.
Mr. Trump has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and said he had long since severed ties with him. He has repeatedly tried to circumvent the Justice Department’s decision not to release a full report on the investigation, but lawmakers from both major parties, as well as many of the Republican president’s supporters, have refused to do so.
Since Epstein's death in 2019 in a New York City jail cell where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, conservative conspiracy theorists have speculated about what information investigators might have gathered about Epstein and who else might have been involved.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee agreed to that approach last month, issuing subpoenas to the Clintons, both Democrats, and demanding full information between former President Joe Biden's administration and the Justice Department regarding Epstein.
The committee is also seeking depositions from former attorneys general who served in the last three presidential administrations: Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Alberto Gonzales.
Former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller were also subpoenaed.
However, it was Democrats who initiated the subpoena of the Justice Department to review the Epstein case file. They were joined by some Republicans, who successfully initiated the request through a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.
“Democrats are focused on transparency and fighting Donald Trump’s corruption,” Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told reporters last month. “What is Donald Trump hiding that he’s not releasing the Epstein files?”
Earlier, the committee issued a summons for Gisley's interrogation.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
