WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has raged towards the 4 Republicans who pressured the Home of Representatives to vote on the Epstein information, even calling Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) a “traitor” for her bother.
However there’s one Republican who’s achieved greater than another to deliver new and damaging Jeffrey Epstein materials to gentle — Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the Home Oversight Committee.
It was Comer who obtained the “birthday e-book” made for Epstein in 2003 that contained a creepy tribute apparently from Trump, plus the thousands of documents released this month, together with the e-mail from Epstein saying Trump “knew concerning the women.”
The newest doc dump got here shortly earlier than Congress handed laws to power the discharge of the Justice Division’s full Epstein information. Trump’s approval ranking has fallen to the lowest level of his second term, partly on account of the Epstein fallout.
As Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) put it: “James Comer has been doing a unprecedented job for the Democrats.”
It might create a second spherical of Republican grumbling about Comer, a powerful Trump ally who obtained some intraparty blame when Home Republicans’ varied efforts to analyze and impeach President Joe Biden principally fell flat or blew up of their faces. Again then, Comer overpromised on what his proof confirmed, particularly a Ukrainian bribe that turned out to have been fully fabricated. But when Comer’s achieved something fallacious this time round, it’s that he’s been overly prepared to dig up the reality.
“As a result of I, in addition to my Republican colleagues on the Home Oversight Committee, we wish to know what actually occurred, what went on, who was concerned in these unspeakable crimes,” Comer mentioned final week in a speech on the Home flooring, referring to his resolution to subpoena the Epstein property. “We would like justice for the survivors. That’s why we’re doing this investigation.”
Comer has gone past the subpoena {that a} bipartisan vote in his committee over the summer time pressured him to ship to the Justice Division. On his personal initiative, he despatched a completely separate subpoena to the late sexual predator’s property, which had the birthday e-book and a cache of emails.
It’s onerous to think about a extra embarrassing doc than the 2003 birthday card to Epstein that bears Trump’s signature, which reads “now we have sure issues in frequent” and “might day by day be one other fantastic secret.” Trump had denied writing the message — his attorneys even claimed in courtroom it had been “concocted” by The Wall Avenue Journal — and Comer’s disclosure proved it was actual.
Trump’s allies hyped the Epstein information as the important thing to unraveling the form of elite pedophile ring right-wing conspiracy theorists have raved about for years. As of this month, each Republican in Congress however one formally helps releasing the information. However Comer has been manner forward of them.
AP Photograph/Jose Luis Magana
Republicans set excessive expectations for revelations from the Justice Division’s investigatory information on Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 whereas going through federal intercourse trafficking fees.
In February, Comer arrange an Oversight Committee “Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets,” chaired by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), devoted to revealing the federal government’s items on the JFK assassination, UFOs and the Epstein information.
That month, the Justice Division handed binders labeled “The Epstein Information: Part 1” to a bunch of right-wing influencers gathered on the White Home. The stunt backfired; the binders contained no new info, and a few MAGA commentators mentioned the entire thing looked unprofessional. Luna called it a “full disappointment.”
In Could, Luna demanded the Justice Division make its Epstein paperwork public: “We work alongside the DOJ – not for it. AG Bondi must cease stonewalling and talk with us.”
When the Trump administration announced in July that it wouldn’t launch any new info and that there was no Epstein “consumer checklist,” opposite to prior statements made by Trump, Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, the backlash from MAGA-aligned media figures was intense. Democrats exploited the second by pushing for a vote on subpoenaing the Justice Division throughout a subcommittee assembly that month. Comer dutifully despatched the subpoena weeks later.
Republican leaders pointed to the Justice Division’s cooperation with the subpoena as a purpose to not vote on separate Epstein laws, however their pushback solely appeared to stiffen the resolve of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ga.), Greene, and the 2 different Republicans who put their names on a “discharge petition” forcing the Home to vote this month.
Privately, some Republicans are apparently sad with the function Comer performed within the Epstein saga.
“Nobody has betrayed and fractured MAGA greater than Chairman Comer and Rep. Luna,” a senior Home aide instructed HuffPost. “Their Epstein ‘investigation’ created just about each main headache for Home Republicans this Congress.”
Comer declined to remark for this text. A spokesman for Luna didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The Oversight Committee has launched 33,000 pages of information from its DOJ subpoena, although a lot was already public. Massie has mentioned he doesn’t belief the fabric coming by means of the committee, pointing to redactions within the first batch that protected individuals who weren’t victims of intercourse trafficking.
Heather Diehl by way of Getty Pictures
After The Wall Avenue Journal reported on the existence of the Epstein birthday book in July, Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), members of the Oversight Committee, sent a letter asking Epstein’s property for a replica of the e-book. An legal professional for the property mentioned the property might solely present it in response to a subpoena.
In September, Comer fired off a subpoena not only for the e-book, however for a variety of paperwork, emails and checking account statements. The committee quickly obtained and uploaded to its web site one other 30,000 pages of paperwork. Crucially, the Justice Division has had no capability to filter the fabric.
Rep. Pete Periods (R-Texas), one other Oversight Committee member, mentioned Republicans didn’t have a lot selection however to seize regardless of the property was holding. He referred to as it a straightforward raise.
“I believe legitimately, we’d have been criticized if we had information and didn’t get it,” Periods instructed HuffPost. “It grew to become what I might say materials to the case. It grew to become materials. And, you understand, sadly or no matter occurred, it become a treasure trove of alternative for folks.”
Garcia, the committee’s prime Democrat, supplied grudging respect to Comer whereas taking partial credit score for his Epstein strikes.
“I believe when James Comer and Republicans are pushed to do the suitable factor, they may typically do the suitable factor. And I respect that, and I wish to companion in these areas,” Garcia mentioned. “However once they select to disclaim or deflect or decelerate the method, we’re going to name that out.”
The committee remains to be sending out new subpoenas, asking the Treasury Division handy over any “suspicious exercise studies” flagging Epstein’s cash transfers, and this month demanded Epstein’s financial institution information from JPMorganChase and Deutsche Financial institution.
For Republicans, there’s a shiny aspect: The Epstein paperwork include loads of embarrassing references to high-profile Democrats.
“There was nothing new concerning the president’s former relationship with Epstein and definitely nothing scandalous,” Comer mentioned in his speech final week. “However we did discover two sitting Democrat members of Congress had communications with Epstein.”
The brand new paperwork revealed Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) had been texting with Epstein throughout a committee listening to in 2019, and that Democratic fundraisers had solicited campaign contributions from Epstein on behalf of Home Democratic Chief Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Trump, for his half, aggressively lobbied towards the invoice to launch the Justice Division’s Epstein information, solely to change his place final weekend when it was clear the invoice would move the Home over his objections. Now that he’s signed it into legislation, it’s as much as the Justice Division to create a searchable Epstein database by mid-December.
The White Home claims Trump has been on the suitable aspect of the Epstein matter all alongside.
“President Trump has been constantly calling for transparency associated to the Epstein information ― by releasing 1000’s of pages of paperwork, cooperating with the Home Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump lately calling for additional investigations into Epstein’s Democrat pals, the Trump Administration has achieved extra for the victims than Democrats ever have,” White Home spokesperson Abigail Jackson mentioned in an electronic mail.
Jackson famous Plaskett’s communications with Epstein and mentioned reporters must ask former President Invoice Clinton about his numerous flights on Epstein’s private plane.
“The one individuals who have behaved cynically are the Democrats and the media,” Jackson mentioned.
