The Department of Justice (DOJ) turned over the first batch of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Friday, in response to a subpoena from the panel seeking the full Epstein files.
Separately, the DOJ on Friday publicly released a transcript and audio of the interview Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducted last month with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Blanche interviewed Maxwell in course-correction following public uproar over an initial decision from the DOJ and FBI to not release any additional information about the Epstein matter.
“The House Oversight Committee has received the Department of Justice’s first production of Epstein records pursuant to Chairman James Comer’s subpoena. The production contains thousands of pages of documents,” A House GOP Oversight Committee spokesperson said in a statement.
The DOJ included the interview with Maxwell in the batch of documents released to the Oversight panel in addition to releasing it publicly.
In the interview, Maxwell — who is seeking a pardon or commutation of her sex trafficking conviction from President Trump — told the Justice Department she “never saw” Trump “in any inappropriate setting.”
While the Epstein documents came to the Oversight Committee several days later than the panel’s original Tuesday deadline, and more releases are expected, the Oversight Republicans praised the disclosure.
“The Trump DOJ is providing records at a far quicker pace than anything the Biden DOJ ever provided. In fact, former Attorney General Garland obstructed Chairman Comer’s subpoena for the audio of Special Counsel Hur’s interview with President Biden to hide his cognitive decline,” the GOP spokesperson said.
Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and the spokesperson have said that the panel intends to make the records public after reviewing to ensure any identification of victims or child sexual abuse material are redacted.
“The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations,” the spokesperson said.
“We’re going to work as quickly as we can,” Comer told reporters on Thursday. “This is sensitive information. We want to make sure we don’t do anything that [will] harm or jeopardize any victims that were involved in this. But we’re going to be transparent.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the panel, earlier this week criticized the plan for the DOJ to release files to the committee in batches, saying that doing so amounts to a “cover-up.”
“The American People will not accept anything short of the full, unredacted Epstein files,” Garcia said.
The Oversight Committee’s move to subpoena of the Department of Justice for files related to Epstein came in the wake of widespread outrage over an unsigned July memo from the DOJ and FBI saying they would not release any more information from the Epstein files.
The announcement led to outcry from conservatives who believe the government is shielding powerful individuals who may have been involved with Epstein’s abuse of young women and underage girls — and furor from Democrats who have sought to link Trump to Epstein and accuse him of covering up the files’ release.
The Oversight panel subpoenaed the DOJ for the files this month pursuant to a Democratic-led motion in a subcommittee to subpoena the Justice Department for the “full, unredacted Epstein files.” Three Republicans joined Democrats to move to subpoena the DOJ, and Comer issued the subpoena in August.
It also subpoenaed several high-profile former federal officials to testify about the Epstein matter, pursuant to a Republican-led motion that came after the Democratic motion to subpoena the DOJ.
The first of those depositions, with former Attorney General Bill Barr, took place Monday. Subpoenas have also been issued to former President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and several former attorneys general and FBI directors.
Updated at 3:52 p.m. EDT
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