Former Democratic FBI Director James Comey denied any knowledge of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to letters reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
Based on his responses, the House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) withdrew his subpoena to appear in person for a deposition to Congress regarding the ongoing investigation of Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell and the release of the criminal files.
The decision comes after Comey was indicted last month on two of three counts sought by prosecutors, one of making false statements and one of obstruction of justice. The indictment stemmed from his 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his role in the bureau’s handling of the Trump-Russia investigation.
Comey was initially subpoenaed in August to testify behind closed doors on Tuesday as part of an effort to bring in a broad group of former Department of Justice and FBI leaders to speaking on the handling of the criminal case. However, Comer withdrew the demand after Comey and former Justice Department leaders provided written statements.
“Given that I do not possess knowledge and information relevant to the Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and related matters, I offer this letter in lieu of a deposition that would unproductively consume the committee’s scarce time and resources,” Comey wrote in a letter.
Trump allies have long accused Comey, an Obama-era official, of misleading Congress and authorizing politically motivated leaks about the FBI’s probe into Trump campaign associates in 2016. Just earlier this month, Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to move “without delay” in pursuing charges against several former Obama-era officials. Comey’s indictment claims he obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information in violation of 18 USC 1505. It also alleges that Comey made a false statement in violation of 18 USC 1001.
The former FBI director is set to appear before a court later this week for his arraignment. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, is set to preside over the case. Comey responded on Bluesky, saying he is innocent.
Comey is not the first subpoena in the Epstein investigation to be withdrawn. Former Attorneys General Merrick Garland and Eric Holder told the House Oversight Committee they have no knowledge of files related to Epstein. The committee also backed off compelling in-person interviews with Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and Alberto Gonzales last month. The committee also withdrew a subpoena for former FBI Director Robert Mueller, citing his declining health.
President Donald Trump, House GOP leadership, and the DOJ have sought to move past the Epstein files following the public fallout from the department’s announcement in July that it had no plans to make any further documents available and affirmed that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges related to the sex trafficking of minors.
The Trump administration insisted there was no “client list” that would have implicated famous and powerful people involved in Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking ring that involved underage girls. Responding to public demands for more information, the House Oversight Committee issued various subpoenas to seek the DOJ files and interviews with witnesses.
The committee originally issued 10 subpoenas for depositions earlier this year, including former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, from August through October. The other eight subpoenaed individuals were Comey and Mueller, and former Attorneys General Bill Barr, Loretta Lynch, Sessions, Gonzales, Holder, and Garland, although not all were required to appear in person. Barr’s transcript from his testimony was released earlier this month.
Alexander Acosta, former Department of Labor secretary and former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, testified before the committee last month after a separate subpoena. Acosta granted Epstein what many believe was a “sweetheart deal.”
The committee has released multiple batches of documents related to the DOJ files, many of which came from the committee’s subpoena to Epstein’s estate.
GRAND JURY INDICTS FORMER FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a discharge petition to try to force a vote for a full release of the Epstein files. However, it was one signature short of forcing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to put Massie’s Epstein transparency bill on the House floor for a vote.
After Democrats won a recent special election in Arizona, Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva is expected to sign the Epstein discharge petition and reach 218 necessary signatures to compel floor action. Johnson has delayed the swearing-in of Grijalva as the House continued to be in recess amid the government shutdown, a move some Democrats have said is due to her support of the petition to release files related to Epstein.
