The Department of Justice on Friday sent the first round of files about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the House Oversight Committee.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the committee, subpoenaed the Epstein files earlier this month.
“The House Oversight Committee has received the Department of Justice’s first production of Epstein records pursuant to Chairman James Comer’s subpoena,” an Oversight Committee spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
“The production contains thousands of pages of documents. 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,” they added.
The spokesperson said the committee intends to make the files public after review and redaction of victims’ personal information.
“The Committee intends to make these records public after thorough review to ensure any victims’ identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted,” they said. “The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations.”
Comer sent the subpoena to Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking for any files pertaining to Epstein or chief associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
President Donald Trump said he’s in support of keeping the files open but called them a “Democrat hoax.”
“People shouldn’t be hurt, but I’m in support of keeping it totally open. I couldn’t care less. You got a lot of people that could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be, because he knew everybody in Palm Beach. I don’t know anything about that, but I have said to Pam, and everybody else, give them everything you can give them because it’s a Democrat hoax,” he concluded.
The public has shown considerable interest in the Epstein files because of their connection to many powerful, rich people. Bondi told Trump previously that his name was mentioned multiple times in the files.
It’s unclear which other powerful people are in the documents. The Trump administration enthusiastically pursued a release of the Epstein files before the DOJ determined there was no bombshell information in them.
JUDGE SAYS DOJ IS THE ‘LOGICAL PARTY’ TO RELEASE EPSTEIN-RELATED FILES
Democrats and Republicans clamored for the files’ release anyway. The Democratic Party has especially seized on the issue to diminish their opposition as untransparent and covering up for Trump.
“Jeffrey Epstein was a friend of Donald Trump. Jeffrey Epstein was arrested during the Trump administration. Jeffrey Epstein was detained during the Trump administration. Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide during the Trump administration,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said at a news conference in July.