US House Committee releases over 33,000 pages of Epstein-related files

The US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has released more than 33,000 pages of records related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that were provided by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The move comes on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, launched a bipartisan proposal to force a House vote to release all Epstein files.

Survivors of Epstein's abuse met with lawmakers on Tuesday and will reportedly speak publicly at a news conference on Wednesday.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena on August 5 demanding the records, and the DOJ said it would continue producing records while redacting victims' identities and child sexual abuse material.

It remains unclear how much previously unknown information the documents will contain.

In August, a federal judge in New York denied a Justice Department motion to unseal Epstein grand jury records while criticising the Trump administration for withholding some 100,000 pages of related files in its possession, which he said "dwarf" the limited grand jury materials.

'Moot' petition

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Massie's petition was "inartfully drafted" because it lacked language that would protect the identities of victims whom Epstein sexually abused.

Johnson also said the petition is "moot" due to the work of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which released thousands of pages of files on Monday.

"It's superfluous at this point, and I think we're achieving the desired end here," Johnson said.

Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution.

Authorities determined that Epstein died by suicide, a finding corroborated by the Justice Department in July, when it said he was not killed.

That finding, along with the Justice Department's public determination that Epstein did not have a list of wealthy clients for whom he trafficked underage girls, sparked uproar among Trump's Make America Great Again, or MAGA, supporters who have long maintained he was killed as part of a government cover-up to shield Epstein's wealthy and influential inner circle.

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Source: TRT