Lawmakers in Congress expect to begin receiving Department of Justice files on Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case this week.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky, the leader of the House probe into Epstein, announced that the DOJ will send over Epstein files on Friday.
The files are expected to include never-before-seen documents related to the late, well-connected New York financier’s 2019 federal sex trafficking investigation.
But the files are expected to contain heavy redactions to protect the identities of victims and other sensitive information.
That’s anticipated to anger Trump’s supporters, who have been clamoring for the files to be released in their entirety to avoid the appearance of a cover-up.
‘There are many records in DOJ’s custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted,’ the Kentucky Republican said in a statement.
Comer initially subpoenaed the DOJ for the Epstein files on August 5. At the time, the chairman gave the department until August 19 to hand over the documents.
His announcement that the files would come by Friday appears to give the federal agency additional time to prepare the Epstein investigation documents.
Deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hugs his longtime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell
Comer announced on Monday that the DOJ would begin sending documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 federal sex trafficking investigation to the committee on Friday
When the Daily Mail asked the DOJ if they would turn over the Epstein files by the deadline on Tuesday, a spokesperson responded, ‘No comment.’
It’s unclear whether the files the DOJ plans to hand over are the same ones that would be released under a bipartisan bill that could force the department to release all its files on Epstein, except in a few exceptions.
It also remains to be seen whether the files expected to be released on Friday will satisfy voters’ demands to see the Epstein documents.
Epstein, a wealthy money manager who authorities say committed suicide while in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting his federal sex trafficking trial, has been the subject of extreme interest since the DOJ announced in July that it did not have a ‘client list’ many believed the government had.
The unsigned memo put out by the DOJ and FBI poured cold water on many voters’ hopes to learn more about the infamous financier.
This outrage became particularly acute due to Attorney General Pam Bondi saying earlier this year that the ‘client list’ was on her desk.
Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, met personally with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche multiple times in early August.
The Oversight Committee is also investigating Maxwell and had planned and then rescheduled a time to interview the Epstein accomplice.
The committee said it would speak with Maxwell after her petition before the Supreme Court regarding her sex trafficking case has been heard.
Shortly after she met with Blanche, Maxwell was reassigned to a lower security prison.
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which is under the DOJ, acknowledged that Maxwell was transferred but did not share a reason why.
The House Oversight Committee has also sent subpoenas to many high-profile politicians to determine what they know of Epstein’s crimes.
Former President Bill Clinton, who has admitted to flying on Epstein’s private jet – named the Lolita Express – as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have also been subpoenaed by the committee.
Both are being asked to sit for interviews in the Epstein probe in October.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr, who served under Trump during his first term, was also subpoenaed and sat for an interview on Monday.
‘Mr. Barr made clear that President Trump never provided any views or instructions related to the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein or his death, and that he never saw any evidence suggesting President Trump committed a crime,’ a committee spokesperson told the Daily Mail of the session.
‘He further stated that he believed the Biden Department of Justice would have released any incriminating evidence against President Trump if such evidence existed,’ the spokesperson continued. ‘Mr. Barr stands by his original conclusion that Epstein died by suicide.’
