WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Committee Democrats are calling for an independent special counsel to investigate evidence of President Donald Trump’s alleged criminal tiesto Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report made public Monday.
“The bottom line,”they wrote in the report: “There is more than sufficient evidence to launch a criminal investigation.”
They acknowledged the Justice Department under Trump would be unlikely to appoint a special counsel — such as Robert Mueller, whoran the Russia investigation, or Jack Smith, who led the investigation into Trump’sefforts to overturn his 2020 election lossin the lead-up to theJan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s criminal activity, and he has said he cut ties well before allegations of sex trafficking by Epstein became public.
“None of these allegations are true. This ‘report’ is nothing more than a desperate attempt by crazed Democrats to distract Americans from the surging Republican momentum driven by President Trump’s historic achievements,” said Lauren Bis, a White House spokeswoman. “The President kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club at Mar-a-Lago because he was a creep.”
The report comes on the brink of the midterm elections, when Democrats hope to seize control of Congress asTrump’s approval rating tanksover the economy, affordability and the war with Iran. The report signaled an avenue of focus for lawmakers in January should Democrats win a chamber of Congress.
A bipartisan law Congress passed in November ordered the release of millions of documents related to the case against Epstein,who died by suicide in jailwhile he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Many of America’s wealthy and powerful appear in the files, including Trump, who ismentioned thousands of times.
But only one person was ever convicted, Epstein’saccomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. No one else has beencharged in the U.S.
Right now, the Democrats’ oversight efforts have been limited because they are in the minority in Congress, unable to compel witness testimony or solicit documents through subpoenas without the help of Republicans. While the Republican-led House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed several Epstein associates and Republicans helped pass the Epstein Transparency Act, they have been largely unwilling to look deeper into Trump’s ties to Epstein.
Democrats’ power would change dramatically should they win the majority back in either chamber. They would be able to issue subpoenas with or without the help of Republicans. In addition to the Epstein probe, Democratic leaders have promisedrobust investigations into allegations of corruption and griftin Trump’s administration and family businesses.
In their report released Monday, Democrats accuse the Justice Department of obstructing investigations into potential Epstein conspirators, including, they say, Trump. The report alleges the Justice Department workedto cover up Trump’sconnections to Epstein and says an independent special counsel is necessary, because Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was onceTrump’s personal attorney, was compromised.
“The women who survived Epstein deserve to be heard, Congress must have the complete files required by law, and an independent special counsel must investigate Epstein’s co-conspirators and DOJ’s cover-up and ensure that state and foreign prosecutors have the evidence they need to pursue justice,” Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the panel’s top Democrat, said in a statement.
A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement Monday that the report was “nothing more than a last-ditch effort by House Judiciary Democrats to mislead the public.”
The department complied with the congressional act, “making public the nearly 3 million investigatory documents which were responsive to the Act,” the spokesperson said. “The Department also freely offered members of Congress the opportunity to view the files unredacted. All these files were part of FBI investigations that spanned decades and these claims were investigated by agents at the time.”
The spokesperson said the Justice Department can’t talk about the existence of any ongoing investigations but noted that the only administration to bring federal charges against Epstein was Trump’s.
