House Oversight Committee Drops Comey subpoena After Epstein Denial
WASHINGTON – The House Oversight Committee has withdrawn its subpoena for former FBI Director James Comey after he testified he had no prior knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking crimes before his 2008 plea deal, according to committee officials. The subpoena had sought Comey’s testimony regarding the FBI’s handling of the Epstein case and the controversial non-prosecution agreement reached with Epstein in Florida.
The decision to drop the subpoena follows Comey’s closed-door testimony on Wednesday,where he maintained he was unaware of the details of Epstein’s crimes or the terms of the plea deal at the time. Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., stated that Comey’s testimony indicated he did not possess data relevant to the committee’s inquiry into the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case.
the Oversight Committee launched its investigation into Epstein’s case last year, seeking to uncover potential misconduct within the Justice Department and connections between Epstein and prominent figures. The committee has already released thousands of pages of subpoenaed documents related to the investigation.
“After Mr.Comey’s testimony, it became clear that he lacked direct knowledge of the decisions made during the 2008 investigation,” Comer said in a statement.”While we continue to investigate the broader issues surrounding the Epstein case, Mr. Comey’s testimony did not provide the information we were seeking.”
The 2008 plea deal allowed Epstein to avoid federal prosecution on sex trafficking charges in exchange for pleading guilty to state charges in florida. Critics have long argued the deal was too lenient and allowed Epstein to continue his abuse for years before his arrest in 2019 and subsequent death in jail in 2019.
The committee’s work comes amid ongoing partisan tension over the handling of the Epstein investigation, with some Republicans accusing the Biden governance of obstructing their efforts to uncover information. Democrats have accused the GOP of selectively releasing records and pursuing a politically motivated investigation.
Several lawmakers continue to push for the declassification of all government files related to Epstein and Maxwell-a move endorsed by multiple Epstein victims.
