US House Oversight Committee releases Epstein records provided by Justice Department

WASHINGTON

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

The move comes 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 Tuesday and will reportedly speak publicly at a news conference Wednesday.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena on Aug. 5 demanding the records. The committee said in a statement Tuesday that the DOJ indicated that "it will continue producing those records while ensuring the redaction of victim identities and any child sexual abuse material."

The files include court records, flight records and video from Epstein’s cell block before his death. The newly released video is not missing the minute between 11.59 pm and 12 am, according to CBS News.

Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously said the missing minute was caused by the jail’s antiquated security cameras automatically cutting out for one minute per night

According to an initial review by Democratic lawmakers, 97% of the more than 33,000 pages released had previously been disclosed by federal, state or local authorities.

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

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 an 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.