The law Republicans Have Created a Legal Nightmare for Themselves on Epstein

Photo: Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images

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House Republicans have run for the hills, but they can’t escape the fire they started. Speaker Mike Johnson courageously adjourned the House early for summer recess to avoid a vote on a measure seeking public release of the Epstein files. But days later, the House Oversight Committee, under the leadership of Representative James Comer — who’s perpetually on the brink of uncovering some massive scandal but never quite gets there — issued a series of subpoenas calling for broad release of documents by DOJ and a series of in-person testimonial depositions.

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At the same time, Comer’s ill-conceived subpoenas will keep the Epstein story burning bright. Serial court showdowns between Congress and a parade of former attorneys general, FBI directors, presidents, and cabinet secretaries will only stoke public interest. Trump surely wants this scandal to fade away, but Comer has ensured it will remain at the fore.

At bottom, the House’s investigative effort is unserious. If this were truly about seeking meaningful answers, Comer could have started with a subpoena to Alexander Acosta — the disgraced former U.S. Attorney (and former Trump Cabinet secretary) who was presented a case involving at least three dozen child victims and chose to let Epstein off the hook for petty state-level charges and a 13-month sentence, much of it served out of custody. In the process, Acosta’s office misled Epstein’s victims, assuring them in writing that the matter was “ongoing,” even after the softball deal had already been executed.

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Comer might not have thought this one through; his document subpoena places another Trump loyalist, Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a bind. The AG can choose to produce the requested documents to Congress. But she has conspicuously declined to disclose them so far, even though she could have released the vast bulk of the files on her own accord. Or Bondi can resist and challenge the subpoena in court. But that would make the AG — who claims to be all about “transparency and lifting the veil” — look flatly obstructionist.

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https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-epstein-republican-investigations-maxwell.html