House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said his “goal” is to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein quickly once the Justice Department starts turning them over Friday, but stressed they want to be careful not to do anything that could harm victims.
“We’re going to review (them) and we’ll work as quickly as we can. You know, this is sensitive information. We want to make sure we don’t do anything to harm or jeopardize any victims that were involved in this, but we’re going to be transparent. We were doing what we said we would do. We’re getting the documents, and I believe the White House will work with us,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
When pressed by CNN on why the committee would not immediately release the files since DOJ was instructed by the House subpoena to redact victims’ identities and other sensitive information, Comer responded, “I can’t imagine very many scenarios where we would further redact anything.”
“Usually we have concerns over over-redaction. So we’re just going to see what they send us and we’ll go from there,” he said.
Comer added that he was still expecting that the committee would receive records on Friday.
Earlier in the week, a spokesperson for the committee suggested it might be a more involved process to release the material.
“The Committee intends to make the records public after thorough review to ensure all victims’ identification and 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.
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