A Congressional committee plans to publicly release some files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after receiving the material from the Department of Justice Friday, according to a report.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is expected to start receiving materials it subpoenaed related to Epstein at the end of the week. The group will redact sensitive information, including victims’ identities, before it is released to the public, a committee spokesperson confirmed to CNN.
“The Committee intends to make the records public after thorough review to ensure all victims’ identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted. The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the committee would work with the Justice Department on the release, but declined to say when it could be expected.
News that the Department of Justice would start providing records related to Epstein to Congress was first shared Monday by the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer. The disclosures to Congress come after the Justice Department concluded in July that no further disclosures about Epstein were warranted.
Releasing the so-called “Epstein files” would be a massive win for the American public, as conspiracy theories surrounding the financier’s death swirled after Trump, who campaigned on releasing the files, backtracked and said the files never existed. Interest in the files only grew after the DOJ and FBI said that there was no “client list,” despite Attorney General Pam Bondi claiming the list was on her desk in February.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform plans to publicly release files related to Jeffrey Epstein after receiving the material from the Department of Justice Friday. (US District Court for the Southern District of New York)Epstein, a wealthy and well-connected financier, died by suicide in a New York City jail cell in 2019, the memo said. However, years of conspiracy theories have claimed that he kept a secret list of famous and powerful people to whom he trafficked underage girls for sex.
There has also been speculation that Epstein was killed in prison to prevent him from sharing information about the alleged crimes.
The memo’s conclusion left members of Trump’s MAGA base, many of whom were eagerly anticipating bombshell revelations, infuriated. The White House has since been trying to contain the fallout and backlash.
Trump and Epstein were friendly in the 1990s and early 2000s and were seen together at parties in Palm Beach and New York. While Trump has never been formally accused of wrongdoing or charged with any crime in connection to the Epstein case, his former friend and DOGE chief Elon Musk accused him of being on the list.
Despite the interest in the files, House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed a vote of the full House to decide whether or not to release the files until September, claiming the administration needs “space” to vet the files.
Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx told reporters Tuesday that the issue might be “resolved” before it would even come to a vote in Washington, D.C., next month.
“Chairman Comer has mentioned that he’s getting the material that he’s asked for from the Department of Justice. I’d really like to see this resolved, if possible, before we get back, as much information as possible to come out,” Foxx said.
