The House Oversight Committee’s review of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation blasted the Justice Department’s handling of the case from the start and in the decades since, and called on federal investigators to take a closer look at the late sex offender and his associates.
“One thing is abundantly clear in the Epstein case: The federal government has failed, over decades and multiple administrations, to provide justice and protect Epstein’s survivors,” committee Republicans said in a report released Tuesday. “The DOJ must redouble its efforts to provide necessary justice and accountability for Epstein’s survivors. »
“Too many survivors and other witnesses have informed this committee that they were never approached or properly interviewed by federal authorities,” the 137-page report continues. “The DOJ should interview or, in some cases, re-interview key individuals who were part of Epstein and Maxwell’s inner circle,” a reference to Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
In a statement, committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said: “Epstein acted with impunity, protected and enabled by powerful connections and a justice system that repeatedly failed his victims. »
“The evidence we uncovered makes it clear that the Justice Department must interview or re-interview key witnesses, investigate Epstein associates accused of criminal activity, and ensure survivors have access to their records,” Comer said.
In a statement, a Justice Department spokesperson said: “With all due respect, the President’s recommendations have already been addressed. The Attorney General has repeatedly stated that the Epstein case is not closed and that there is no statute of limitations on human trafficking.”
“The department will continue to pursue all additional investigative leads in matters related to Jeffrey Epstein. Any victim with evidence and information is encouraged to contact the FBI,” the statement said.
Epstein, wealthy and politically connected, committed suicide in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
He had previously been investigated for sexually abusing dozens of women and girls more than a decade earlier, but reached a deal with federal prosecutors in 2008 that allowed him to plead guilty to state charges involving a single minor victim.
The deal led to Epstein serving a 13-month sentence in a Palm Beach County jail, where he was allowed out almost daily through a work release program and had his own private security. He could have faced life in prison if convicted in a federal complaint that was dropped following the deal.
The Justice Department and the FBI said in a joint memo last year that Epstein preyed on more than 1,000 victims, but the only other person charged in the case was Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking and conspiracy in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
That joint memo said there was no evidence showing that other people should be charged in the investigation, and despite promises to the contrary from senior administration officials, no further information about Epstein’s case would be released.
The political backlash over the memo led to the passage of the Epstein File Transparency Act (EFTA), a law that requires documents related to the case to be made public. Millions of pages of documents have been released, but some are still withheld or have been released with what critics have called overly redacted.
“Despite the extraordinary efforts undertaken by DOJ staff to expedite the release of EFTA records, questions remain about whether DOJ has released all relevant documents,” the report released Tuesday said.
The Republican report criticizes the department for disclosing the names of some victims in documents that it says should have been redacted, while redacting the names of Epstein allies that it says should have been identified.
“These failures highlight the importance of meaningfully engaging and working alongside victims to ensure their privacy is protected and their concerns are considered before sensitive material is released,” the report said. “Survivors of the Epstein and Maxwell crimes also continue to petition the DOJ for their own means of accessing their personal records and documents. As of the date of this report, the DOJ has not allowed this to happen.”
The House report says Epstein was able to act by having his victims sign nondisclosure agreements.
The report calls on Congress to “enact legislation to protect the ability of people with knowledge of sexual abuse and survivors to speak freely about these crimes, regardless of nondisclosure agreements.”
The committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, said in a statement that the Republican investigation was “incomplete” and that Democrats would continue the investigation when they gain a majority in January.
Comer has held “zero public hearings” on Epstein, and the DOJ “continues to illegally withhold more than 2.5 million pages of documents,” Garcia said.
“We will not allow the president and his allies to abandon this investigation,” Garcia said. “We intend to hold real public hearings to edify survivors and ask tough questions of the powerful men associated with Epstein, including Donald Trump. Our work has only just begun.”
Democrats on the committee released their own report last month calling for an independent special counsel to investigate Epstein’s ties to President Donald Trump.
The two had a social relationship that ended before Epstein was first charged with criminal charges. The Democratic report claims the Justice Department worked to cover up Trump’s ties to Epstein and said an independent special counsel was needed because Attorney General Todd Blanche was compromised because he was Trump’s personal lawyer before joining the administration.
Blanche defended the Justice Department against criticism that it took too long to release the records and mishandled redactions, saying, “You’re talking about working through 6 million pieces of paper. »
The White House said the allegations in the Democratic report were false and politically motivated. Trump has denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities and said he fell out with Epstein because he thought he was a “dirty guy.”
The Republican report criticized Democrats for focusing on Trump in their own findings, saying they were “obsessed” with the president and engaged in a “baseless witch hunt.”
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