Washington: A key committee of the US House plans to publicly release certain Justice Department records connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a spokesperson. The US House Oversight Committee “intends to make the records public after thorough review to ensure all victims’ identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted,” the spokesperson said in a Tuesday statement to CBS News.
According to Anadolu Agency, the panel expects to obtain the documents later this week following an August subpoena for materials related to Epstein, the wealthy financier who was convicted of sex trafficking and died in federal custody in 2019. The spokesperson added that the committee will release the documents once they have been reviewed and appropriately redacted.
The Trump administration will begin turning over documents related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell-his associate, also a convicted sex offender-to the committee on Friday, according to James Comer, the committee chair. Justice Department officials told the committee that they will begin to provide Epstein-related records this Friday. Comer said in a statement, according to Fox News.
Due to the volume of records, it will take the department time to produce them and ensure both the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted, he added. Comer, a Republican, also praised ‘the Trump administration’s commitment to transparency and efforts to provide the American people with information about this matter.”
Even as other politicians and members of the public have complained of the Trump administration’s reluctance to provide the records, Comer described the department’s cooperation as “a good faith effort.” The materials include communications, prosecution records, Epstein’s 2007 non-prosecution agreement, and files related to Epstein’s death, largely unredacted except to protect victims and comply with legal restrictions.
The move follows a deposition earlier this week by Bill Barr, Trump’s attorney general in his first term. The Clintons’ depositions are scheduled for October. The subpoenas and document requests come amid renewed scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of Epstein’s case. The Justice Department has said the matter was thoroughly reviewed, confirming Epstein’s death as a suicide and denying claims that he blackmailed prominent figures.