House subpoenas the Clintons, others for Epstein testimony

The House of Representatives Committee on Oversight issued subpoenas on Tuesday morning, compelling depositions mostly from former high-ranking federal officials. Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and others must testify to increase government transparency on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and other sex-trafficking cases, according to the subpoenas. 

 Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said the subpoenas would help the Oversight Committee determine legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.

 “While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell,” Comer wrote in the subpoena letters.

 In addition to the Clintons, the subpoenas also calls for testimony from:

• Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who served under the George W. Bush Administration

• Obama-era Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, former director of the FBI Robert Mueller

• Former Attorney General William Barr

• Former Biden Administration Attorney General Merrick Garland

• Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who also served under the first Trump administration

• Former FBI director James Comey

• Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder

• Current Attorney General Pam Bondi  

Who is Jeffrey Epstein? He was a wealthy hedge fund manager who once counted as friends former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain’s Prince Andrew, and President Donald Trump. He was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges for allegedly abusing dozens of underage girls as young as 14. He died in prison about a month after his arrest, and his death was ruled a suicide. An associate of Epstein’s, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein and some of his friends to abuse.

 What’s the context of the subpoenas? During his campaign in September last year, President Donald Trump indicated during a podcast interview that he would look into releasing documents about Epstein.

Months after taking office, Trump’s administration hasn’t produced the transparency many expected. That frustration came to a boiling point last month when The Wall Street Journal published a story claiming that Trump had sent an explicit birthday letter to Epstein. The story seemed to indicate a closer personal relationship between Trump and Epstein than was previously reported.  In response, Trump ordered Pam Bondi, his attorney general, to release whatever documentation could be made public related to Epstein’s grand jury testimony. That order has since been held up in court over questions about what portions of the testimony are eligible for release.

 Democrats have pounded Trump over the Epstein files. They claim that Trump’s failure to produce more government transparency on Epstein must be because he was an associate of Epstein and is afraid of criminally implicating himself.

 Despite admitting to once having a personal connection to the infamous hedge fund manager, Trump has denied ever visiting Epstein’s island.

 Dig deeper: Were the promises of the Epstein files really a nothingburger? I spoke to several lawmakers on Capitol Hill who don’t think so.Read my reporting on what they said—and what their expectations are for the sensitive topic.