The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Monday for documents and communications for its inquiry into the federal government’s possible mismanagement of the investigation into Epstein and his associates.
The committee also will hear testimony from Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida who granted Epstein what many believe was a “sweetheart deal.” His transcribed interview will take place on Sept. 19.
Former Attorneys General Alberto Gonzales, Eric Holder, and Jeff Sessions, who were all previously subpoenaed, will be allowed to submit written declarations.
VIRGINIA GIUFFRE MEMOIR TO COME OUT POSTHUMOUSLY
The subpoena comes after the Department of Justice sent the first round of Epstein files to the Oversight Committee, which included thousands of pages of documents. The committee said, upon reviewing the files and redacting information to protect victims, the files would be made public.
The Epstein files sparked a civil war within the Republican Party, as the MAGA base closely allied to President Donald Trump demanded that the files be released. It hit a fever pitch after the DOJ, long promising to release all the records related to Epstein, said in a two-page memo there were no more documents to publish.
Republican lawmakers are split over how best to approach the situation, with the Oversight Committee launching an investigation and subpoenaing people to testify, such as the Clintons, DOJ officials, and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and convicted sex offender in his trafficking scheme.
Maxwell’s deposition before the committee was rescheduled from Aug. 11 as her petition to appeal her criminal conviction is to be considered by the Supreme Court on Sept. 29. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
The Justice Department released a transcript of Maxwell’s two-day interview on Friday. She used the interview to defend Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein despite his documented friendship with the late financier, and downplay her role in Epstein’s crimes and her ties to prominent political families.
The interview came after the DOJ’s failed attempts to convince courts to unseal grand jury testimony from both Epstein’s criminal cases and Maxwell’s 2021 indictment.
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Lawmakers are set to return to Capitol Hill on Sept. 2 after a monthlong recess work period. The files, along with an investigation into the Biden administration’s use of the autopen, are expected to be high-profile priorities of the Oversight Committee.
Eyes will be on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who, prior to the recess, said he would use a discharge petition to force a vote on a bill that would release all the files. Most, if not all, Democrats are expected to sign the petition, so Massie would only need a handful of GOP lawmakers to sign and force Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to bring the bill to the floor.
