Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are charging ahead with their investigation into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, issuing a new subpoena on Monday for a slew of documents held by the estate of the infamous sex criminal.
Led by Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), the Republicans are seeking Epstein’s will; any documents resembling a “client list” related to Epstein’s sex trafficking charges; any “black books” containing Epstein’s contacts; the flight logs from Epstein’s plane and other rented aircraft; and an alleged book of letters from Epstein’s friends commemorating his 50th birthday, among a host of other records.
The birthday book, which was reportedly compiled by Epstein’s longtime associate and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, includes a letter written by President Trump when he was a private citizen in New York, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“It is our understanding that the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein is in custody and control of documents that may further the Committee’s investigation and legislative goals,” Comer wrote in a letter accompanying the subpoena. “Further, it is our understanding the Estate is ready and willing to provide these documents to the Committee pursuant to a subpoena.”
Comer has asked Epstein’s estate to provide the information by Sept. 8.
Separately, Comer announced that Alexander Acosta, former U.S. attorney in South Florida and the Labor secretary for more than half of Trump’s first term, will appear before the committee for a transcribed interview Sept. 19 — a decision Acosta made voluntarily, according to Comer’s office.
Acosta had approved a plea deal with Epstein in 2007 — when he was first charged with sex crimes involving minors — which included a federal nonprosecution agreement.
After Epstein’s second arrest in 2019 on charges that included the sex trafficking of minors, Acosta came under fire from critics who said the first deal was too lenient and empowered Epstein to continue preying on young girls. The scrutiny pushed Acosta to resign as head of the Labor Department.
The Oversight subpoena seeks a copy of that nonprosecution agreement, as well as any documents and communications related to it.
Additionally, Comer said the committee is now willing to entertain written statements from three former attorneys general — Alberto Gonzales, Eric Holder and Jeff Sessions — declaring they have no information about Epstein or Maxwell. The committee had previously subpoenaed the three former officials to appear in person, with Gonzales expected to be deposed on Tuesday — an interview that has now been cancelled.
“It is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell,” Comer wrote in his letter. “The Committee may use the results of this investigation to inform legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.”
Comer said legislation might also be warranted to strengthen ethics laws governing disclosures by elected officials.
Democrats, who had pressed Comer for much of the information, quickly took a victory lap.
“After weeks of pressure from Oversight Democrats, Chairman Comer has finally issued a subpoena for Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous birthday book, which contains critical information about Epstein’s social network—and has agreed to hear testimony from Alex Acosta,” Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Committee, said in a statement.
“These are important steps forward to get long-overdue answers about sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. It doesn’t matter who you are: If you were involved with Jeffrey Epstein and you hurt people, you need to be held accountable.”
The subpoena of the Epstein estate comes on the heels of another subpoena the Oversight Committee delivered to the Justice Department seeking additional documents in the Epstein saga.
The panel is also seeking interviews with former government officials with ties to Epstein, including former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who are scheduled to be deposed in October. Comer has called Bill Clinton a “prime suspect” in his investigation.
Despite the GOP’s effort to focus on Clinton, the Epstein saga has been an enormous challenge for the sitting president.
Many of Trump’s supporters believe the sealed Epstein documents, including an alleged “client list,” are the key to uncovering a much broader criminal enterprise of sex trafficking and pedophilia undertaken by a who’s who of global “elites” who were being shielded by the government.
Trump, on the campaign trail, had suggested he would release those government files. And he also advanced a related narrative popular with his base: that Epstein did not die by suicide in his prison cell in 2019, as officials say, but was murdered to ensure his silence.
In July, however, Trump’s Justice Department released an unsigned memo refuting each of those claims. There is no client list, the memo stated, nor did the department find evidence Epstein attempted to blackmail other figures who might have committed sex crimes. His death was indeed by suicide, the memo added, not foul play.
The memo infuriated many of Trump’s most loyal supporters, who saw Trump’s decision to place vocal Epstein conspiracy theorists in top administration positions — including Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel — as a sign that the release of the Epstein files was forthcoming.
To quell the outcry, the Trump administration took new steps to reveal previously disclosed information surrounding the case. This month, Todd Blanche, Bondi’s top deputy at the Justice Department, met with Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for crimes related to the sexual abuse of minors. Additionally, Justice Department officials have asked the courts to unseal grand jury testimony transcripts from both the Epstein and Maxwell cases.
Two courts, however, have denied those motions this month.
Updated at 5:27 p.m.
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