Updated @ 9:38 AM EDT on August 23, 2025
An initial set of documents pertaining to the Justice Department’s investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein case was delivered to the House Oversight Committee on Friday.
In a social media message, James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the panel, verified their arrival and said that “thousands of pages of Epstein-related documents” had been presented to the committee.
In response to a congressional subpoena filed earlier this month requesting that the DOJ produce documents from its investigation into the convicted sex offender and his longstanding associate Ghislaine Maxwell, the release is the first batch of papers to be delivered to the committee.
According to Comer, at least a portion of those files will eventually be released to the public. Shortly after the Justice Department released transcripts of two days of interviews with Maxwell in July, he declared that he had received the papers.
“We will be open and honest. We’re carrying out our promise. Comer told reporters on Capitol Hill this week, “We’re getting the documents.” “And I believe the White House will work with us.”
For House Republicans, managing the Epstein issue is a delicate dance. On the one hand, they are dealing with demand from their base for greater transparency. However, the publication runs the danger of disclosing potentially embarrassing information regarding President Trump’s previous connections to the disgraced financier and the way the government handled the Epstein probe. Epstein was arrested for soliciting prostitution in 2006, but Trump has consistently insisted that their connection stopped before then.
Comer served 11 subpoenas earlier this month, requesting the DOJ documents and the testimony of prominent witnesses. Maxwell is joined on the list by former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and prominent law enforcement figures from past administrations, such as former Attorneys General Merrick Garland and Bill Barr and former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller.
Six years ago this month, Epstein committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, which stoked conspiracy theories about a cover-up.
Trump and other Republicans pledged throughout the campaign to make the Epstein files public if they were elected. However, since Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in July that the Justice Department and the FBI had not discovered any proof that Epstein had a “client list” or that he blackmailed well-known colleagues, the administration has been the target of criticism.
The committee’s review
This week, Comer told reporters on Capitol Hill that he had no idea what the Justice Department will give the committee on Friday. However, he acknowledged that he anticipated there would be a lot to go over.
“I’m confident there are hundreds and hundreds of pages because you have two people that were charged, so there has to be a lot of evidence there,” Comer stated.
According to Comer, the Justice Department will evaluate the papers on its own to determine what should be withheld. He anticipated that the committee will conduct an independent review as well.
Some Republicans are among the critics who express concern that the publication will be far from thorough. Democrats have contended that Republicans will closely monitor and restrict the public dissemination.
The committee’s top minority member, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., pointed out that the panel passed a bipartisan vote in favor of full cooperation with the subpoena requesting DOJ records.
“Releasing the Epstein files in batches just continues this White House cover-up,” Garcia said in a statement this week. “Handpicked, partial productions are wholly insufficient and potentially misleading.”
The unsuccessful push for grand jury testimony
Trump requested the release of the relevant grand jury transcripts last month. Three federal judges, however, have rejected the idea.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman of Manhattan issued the most recent decision on Wednesday, stating that there was insufficient reason to unseal the data. Additionally, he said that the government’s thousands of pages would provide more information to the public than what it had requested be unlocked. According to Berman, the grand jury documents included four pages of call logs, a power point presentation, and 70 pages of summary testimony from a single FBI agent.
There are other congressional attempts to make Epstein records publicly available outside the work of the Oversight committee. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., intends to compel a House vote on the records’ release because Congress is expected to reconvene after Labor Day.
Massie joined Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., for the bipartisan attempt after expressing disapproval of his party’s handling of the documents demands. The two want to meet with Epstein survivors for a press conference the day following the House’s return.
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