The Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee introduced Monday it expects to start receiving recordsdata associated to Jeffrey Epstein from the Division of Justice (DOJ) by the top of the week.
“Officers with the Division of Justice have knowledgeable us that the Division will start to supply Epstein-related information to the Oversight Committee this week on Friday. There are various information in DOJ’s custody, and it’ll take the Division time to supply all of the information and make sure the identification of victims and any little one sexual abuse materials are redacted,” Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) mentioned in an announcement.
“I admire the Trump Administration’s dedication to transparency and efforts to supply the American folks with details about this matter.”
The plans spurred pushback from the panel’s Democrats, who mentioned the DOJ was failing to completely comply by not assembly the unique deadline and supplying all paperwork.
The panel, on a bipartisan foundation, subpoenaed the Justice Division for recordsdata associated to the deceased financier who was awaiting trial on intercourse trafficking prices when he died by suicide.
The movement final month from Rep. Summer time Lee (D-Pa.) referred to as for the “full, complete, unredacted Epstein files to be delivered concurrently to the majority and minority.”
Comer’s announcement Monday got here the identical day that former Lawyer Basic Invoice Barr was deposed by the Oversight panel on the Epstein matter, the primary in a sequence of scheduled interviews.
Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the highest Democrat on the panel, mentioned after the deposition that Democrats would require all requested information from the DOJ.
“The most critical thing the House Oversight Committee needs for its investigation is the full, complete, and unredacted Epstein files, as well as any ‘client list,’” he mentioned.
“The bipartisan Oversight Committee subpoena requires these documents by tomorrow, and if the committee does not receive the files, it will be clear the Trump Epstein Coverup continues.”
Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Scott Perry (Pa.) and Brian Jack (Ga.) joined Democrats in approving the request in July.
The committee additionally authorized by voice vote a movement from Perry to “expand the full committee’s investigation” into the Epstein matter by additionally issuing subpoenas to quite a lot of high-profile former Democratic officers: former President Invoice Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former Lawyer Basic Loretta Lynch, former Lawyer Basic Eric Holder, former Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland and former FBI Director and particular counsel Robert Mueller.
