The Republican-led House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department on Tuesday for files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite resistance from House GOP leadership and growing unease within the Trump Administration over the political and legal implications of such disclosures.
The subpoena calls for the Justice Department to turn over all investigative materials related to Epstein’s decades-long sex trafficking operation, with victims’ identities redacted.
The Committee also issued a broad array of subpoenas for deposition testimony from high-profile figures across both Democratic and Republican administrations—among them former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller, and six former U.S. attorneys general, including Merrick Garland and William Barr.
The latest activity from the Committee follows Justice Department officials interviewing Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and then Maxwell being moved to a minimum-security facility in Texas.
“While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s cases, 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,” Rep. James Comer, the Oversight Chair, wrote in a subpoena to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The subpoenas come nearly two weeks after one of the panel’s subcommittees voted to compel the Justice Department to release the files, just before the House left for its summer recess. House Speaker Mike Johnson publicly resisted the effort, arguing the Administration needs “room to act” before Congress intervenes.
But the committee’s decision to subpoena the Justice Department shows that interest in the Epstein files remains high among Republicans, even as President Donald Trump has repeatedly tried to move past the Justice Department’s decision not to release a full accounting of the investigation. A July memo from the Justice Department stated that Epstein died by suicide and that no “client list” of abusers had been recovered—a conclusion that has only deepened suspicion among conspiracy-minded conservatives and Democrats alike.
Democrats first pushed to subpoena the Justice Department for its files on Epstein, and were joined by three Republicans to initiate the subpoena in July.
The Justice Department will have until Aug. 19 to hand over the requested records. The committee is also requesting that the former government officials appear for depositions between August and October, concluding with Hillary Clinton on Oct. 9 and Bill Clinton on Oct. 14.
While former Presidents have often been subpoenaed, none have ever appeared before lawmakers under compulsion.
Clinton’s association with Epstein has been publicly known for years and included travel on his plane after he left office, according to court records. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that a book assembled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003 included a message from Clinton, as well as Trump and others. Both Clinton and Trump were listed as “friends” in the book. Trump has denied writing the letter and sued the Wall Street Journal.
A spokesperson for Clinton said in 2019 that he cut off ties with Epstein prior to his 2019 arrest and was unaware of Epstein’s alleged crimes.
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