The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday issued subpoenas for Department of Justice records on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, as well as for interviews with a slate of former government officials in connection to the case. Chair Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) announced that he was summoning nearly a dozen former officials to appear for depositions on the Epstein investigation — a list that includes former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Former U.S. Attorneys General William Barr, Alberto Gonzales, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Merrick Garland, as well as former FBI Directors Robert Mueller and James Comey were also tapped to give testimony in connection to the case.
The move was required after a Democratic-led subcommittee vote in July, signaling a broader political battle over the handling of the Epstein case, which took the Trump administration by storm last month as anger boiled over from within MAGA circles about the administration’s handling of the case. The committee’s subpoena of Bill Clinton in particular appears to be more symbolic than substantive, as no former president has ever been compelled to testify to Congress under a subpoena. The Justice Department has long cited the example of former President Harry Truman, who was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953, to argue that it is improper for Congress to compel even former presidents to testify due to separation of powers concerns.
While Trump has tried to dismiss the growing public outcry, he has also become a focal point of the controversy, lashing out at The Wall Street Journal over a report of a letter he allegedly wrote to Epstein, which he denies authoring. At the same time, Republicans have remained divided on how to approach the issue, as the administration has sought to mollify its base by directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury documents amid heightened outrage from within MAGA circles. However, the potential for these documents to reveal new information remains unclear.
In an unrelated development, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell last month amid increased public pressure, leading to her transfer to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas. The move coincided with Trump’s clear indication that a pardon for Maxwell is within his authority. This development has further fueled speculation about the political implications of the Epstein case, as the ongoing legal and political maneuvering continues to shape the narrative surrounding the case.
Kyle Cheney contributed to this report.