Rep. James Comer said the Department of Justice complied with a request to provide the records before the deadline.
The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is preparing to share documents pertaining to notorious dead predator Jeffrey Epstein with members of Congress by Friday, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer announced.
“Officials with the Department of Justice have informed us that the Department will begin to provide Epstein-related records to the Oversight Committee this week on Friday,” Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, announced Monday, according to a Daily Wire report. “There are many records in DOJ’s custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted. I appreciate the Trump Administration’s commitment to transparency and efforts to provide the American people with information about this matter.”
Comer filed a subpoena for the material on August 5; the deadline for compliance was August 19.
A prominent investor with years of associations throughout American politics, business, and high society, Epstein killed himself in his cell at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in August 2019 while being held on charges of trafficking underaged girls to be raped by himself and wealthy associates in a high-profile case that was believed to implicate many prominent figures around the world.
The case has long been a source of concern due to the mysteries surrounding the billionaire financier’s private Caribbean retreat (dubbed “Pedophile Island” by locals), Epstein’s close association with major public figures such as former President Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates; and the botched past prosecutions and lax punishment for his previous crimes. Epstein’s death ended any possibility of him naming any public figures who may have taken part in his crimes, sparking impassioned conspiracy speculation online.
Many hoped the election of Trump would bring with it new disclosures (egged on by MAGA personalities such as future Vice President JD Vance), but instead the issue has become a political headache for the administration. The White House elicited a backlash in February when several prominent MAGA influencers were invited for exclusive first access to what was billed as “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” but turned out to largely consist of old, already-public material.
After months of dueling and contradictory statements from administration officials about who was in possession of what and the state of the review, in July the DOJ and FBI released a joint memo declaring the review complete, affirming Epstein killed himself after all, declining to release previously sealed material, and most controversially announcing, “This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list.’ There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
Discontent swelled to outrage on social media, for reasons ranging from fear that there remain unidentified offenders evading justice, to suspicion that powerful figures still had enough influence to maintain a cover-up, to simple belief that influencers had gotten audiences’ hopes up by over-promising dramatic twists that reality was never going to match.
Taking on renewed relevance amid this tumult was Epstein’s former lover and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. In attempts to mollify critics, the Trump DOJ moved to re-interview Maxwell and have her grand jury materials unsealed, though a judge blocked the latter.
Days after speaking with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell was also transferred to a minimum-security facility (but not granted work release, contrary to online claims). Her attorney David Oscar Markus says she was moved to a “safer facility, especially after she faced serious danger in Tallahassee,” but some claimed it was a reward for agreeing not to divulge incriminating information about Trump’s ties to Epstein.
“I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epstein’s defense as his criminal lawyer 9 days before he died. He sought my advice for months before that. I can say authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively that he had no information to hurt President Trump,” attorney David Schoen says.
In July, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was one of several people who contributed a “bawdy letter” to an album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Among the salacious details of Trump’s submission were lines that the two “have certain things in common” and a wish that “every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump vociferously denied writing the letter, an original copy of which has not yet been produced.
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President Donald Trump said Thursday he will pause migration from some countries following the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House.
The suspected gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 under a Biden-era immigration program for Afghans fleeing the Taliban movement. He was reportedly granted asylum this year.
U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from injuries she sustained in the Wednesday shooting, Trump told service members in a video call Thursday night. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was in critical condition. Lakanwal was also injured in the shooting.
The two victims were members of the West Virginia National Guard sent to Washington, D.C. in August under Trump’s orders for a crackdown on crime.
In a lengthy social media post on Thursday, Trump claimed “reverse migration” is the answer to years of mass migration and said he plans to “permanently pause migration from all third world countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”
Trump also appeared to consider removing migrants who have become U.S. citizens. He said he will “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is capable of loving our Country.”
He said the federal government will end all “benefits and subsidies to noncitizens, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport and foreign nation who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
The FBI said they are conducting investigations in Washington State, the suspect’s last known residence, as well as connections he may have had in San Diego.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau has executed “multiple search warrants around the country.”
Patel said Lakanwal had a “relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces.” Multiple reports claim Lakanwal worked alongside the Central Intelligence Agency while in Afghanistan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, resigned Friday after his home was raided in an ongoing corruption probe that threatens to undermine Zelenskyy’s grip on power during wartime.
Ukrainian authorities on Friday raided the home of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff and right-hand man, as part of a sweeping corruption probe investigating Zelenskyy’s possible involvement in a $100 million scheme to defraud the nation’s atomic energy company. Yermak’s resignation comes at a time when Zelenskyy is under increasing pressure to accept a U.S.-brokered peace deal to end Ukraine’s war with Russia.
The investigation has shaken Ukrainian confidence in Zelenskyy’s administration while Russian strikes continue to rock critical infrastructure. So far, Russia has not commented on the new proposed peace deal.
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Ukrainian opposition party European Solidarity called for a no-confidence vote to remove Zelenskyy from power, but so far attempts to remove him have failed.
Zelenskyy first rose to power on an anti-corruption platform in the 2019 elections, which propelled him into the international spotlight. He has enjoyed a positive global reputation during the three-year war with Russia and has been hailed by numerous Westernleaders as a beacon of democracy against autocratic Russia.
Zelenskyy has so far worked with the U.S. on the proposed peace agreement, but has also expressed major reservations about what it will mean for his country. In a public address on November 21, Zelenskyy said the plan puts Ukraine in the position of “either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.”
Despite the prospect of losing U.S. intelligence sharing and weapons if Ukraine doesn’t accept the deal, Zelenskyy has been shoring up European alliances and international support, most recently signing a deal with France to obtain 100 Rafale jets for its air force. The deal also included anti-air equipment, drones and other munitions.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
