Rep. Steve Cohen condemned Attorney General William Barr’s oversight of the Justice Department during a contentious House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing.
At one point during Tuesday’s event, the Tennessee Democrat referred to convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his New York City jail cell last year, after criticizing the Justice Department’s decision to send in federal agents to quell riots in Portland, Oregon.
“Maybe what happened is your secret police were poorly trained, just like your Bureau of Prisons guards were poorly trained and allowed the most notorious inmate in our nation’s last several years, Jeffrey Epstein, to conveniently commit suicide,” Cohen said. “Sad.”
Epstein, who was 66 and a registered sex offender and wealthy financier, was arrested last July on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges for allegedly abusing girls as young as 14 years old. He was found dead in August while awaiting a trial at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, which is run by the federal Bureau of Prisons. His death was ruled a suicide by New York City’s chief medical examiner. The FBI and DOJ inspectors general opened investigations into his death.
Two of Epstein’s prison guards were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy and filing false records. Barr also removed the Bureau of Prisons director following Epstein’s death.
During his line of questioning, Cohen also castigated Barr for what he views as efforts to protect President Trump’s associates who were caught up in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the federal use of force to respond to unrest in cities across the country.
Cohen introduced a resolution last month to investigate whether Barr should be impeached over accusations that he “perverted” the law and undermined the judicial system.
