House Republicans subpoenaed the Justice Department and a slew of former US officials for information about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation, while his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell fought back in federal court against making materials in her case public.
The developments played out from Washington to New York on Tuesday, pouring fresh fuel on a controversy that President Donald Trump and his top aides have been unable to shake for weeks.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding the “full, complete, unredacted Epstein files,” including information about Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in sexually abusing underage women.
While Comer is a Trump ally, his hand was forced to issue the subpoena after Democrats on his committee team up with rank-and-file Republicans to vote in favor of forcing disclosure of the Justice Department records.
Comer expanded on the Democratic-backed subpoena to also compel testimony from officials from prior administrations, including frequent Trump targets such as former FBI Director James Comey and President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, Trump’s opponent in the 2016 presidential election. It wasn’t clear what, if any, information they have on the case.
Still, the subpoenas set up a potential confrontation between the Republican-led panel and the Trump administration over access to the Justice Department’s investigative records.
Trump and his top aides have faced a firestorm over their handling of the Epstein case, with supporters and critics alike demanding they release documents, financial records and information about Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation and who may have committed crimes against underage girls.
Congressional Democrats made life so politically painful for House Republicans over Epstein that Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House home early for its August break in order to avoid votes on publicly releasing the Epstein files. Democrats had repeatedly offered amendments to legislation to compel the administration to make the files public and GOP leaders halted work on major legislation.
Trump has acknowledged he had a personal relationship with Epstein long ago and attended social gatherings with him but has denied knowing anything about his sex-trafficking operation.
The Wall Street Journal stoked new controversy over Trump’s relationship with Epstein with a story last month that said the president once sent a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein. Trump denied the story and sued the news organization.
In the face of rising pressure from fellow Republicans and critics demanding more information about the case, the Justice Department has asked federal judges in New York to unseal grand jury materials related to Epstein and Maxwell.
Maxwell fought back in court on Tuesday, opposing the request to unseal grand jury transcripts in her criminal case, saying she is still fighting her conviction.
“The public interest identified by the government — while understandable — is insufficient to warrant disclosure of grand jury materials at this time,” Maxwell’s lawyers wrote in a legal filing. “The government frames this interest as ‘historical,’ yet it is nothing more than widespread and intense public scrutiny about an ongoing criminal case.”
The Justice Department has indicated in court filings that the grand jury material is very limited and probably won’t shed any new light on what is already publicly known about Epstein’s operation. In comparison, the department has a huge collection of documents and files obtained during the investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, including interviews with witnesses and victims.
The subpoena to the department seeks all documents and communications related to seven different categories, including the criminal cases against Epstein and Maxwell and information about Epstein’s death.
Comer’s panel gave the Justice Department until Aug. 19 to turn over records related to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 as he faced sex-trafficking charges.
A Justice Department spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for the Clintons.
Bill Clinton, who has acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s private airplane, has previously denied knowing anything about the financier’s sex-trafficking.
The Justice Department is traditionally reluctant to share all its investigative files with lawmakers and has resisted demands so far to make more information about Epstein’s operation public.
Comer’s panel already subpoenaed Maxwell for an Aug. 11 deposition. But her lawyers have demanded criminal immunity in return for her testimony and Comer hasn’t agreed to the request.
