In light of ongoing inquiries into Jeffrey Epstein’s case, the Republican-led oversight committee in the US House of Representatives has issued a subpoena for his family’s records.
Deposition subpoenas were issued by panel chairman James Comer on Tuesday for top officials from both major parties, including former president Bill Clinton, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and former attorney general Bill Barr.
Former FBI Director James Comey, a staunch adversary of President Donald Trump, has also been called in to testify.
The Justice Department’s request is made in a subpoena sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking for the release of “total communications relating to” Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been found guilty of rape.
Subpoenas are legally binding requests for documents and interrogation that Congress has the authority to issue.
Following bipartisan subcommittee motions that compelled Comer to make the requests, Tuesday’s subpoenas were issued.
The death of Epstein bolsters conspiracies.
Epstein, a wealthy financier, has been the target of interest- and conspiracy theories ever since he passed away in 2019’s federal custody.
Some people have speculated that the medical examiner’s official verdict and his death were not suicide. According to conspiracy theorists, Epstein socialized with the wealthy and powerful, including royalty, top academics, and government officials, who might want their relationship with him kept secret.
Trump has been receiving calls, including from well-known conservatives in his base, to release all Epstein-related documents, which is beginning to become a headache.
Trump and Epstein had a close relationship, and he frequently shared photos with him.
Trump sent Epstein a letter with sexual references to the financier’s 50th birthday in 2003, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal last month. The US president sued the newspaper over the allegations and denied the letter.
The government’s effort to make all of Epstein’s information available to the public has not been defeated.
The Trump administration’s refusal to release the information has fueled improbable claims that Epstein had a “client list” of powerful individuals who abused young girls and women on his property.
According to one of the most well-known conspiracy theories, Epstein may have used the list to extort his associates for personal gain or to benefit a national or international intelligence service.
Right-wing observers who align ideologically with Trump have long supported that theory, in part because of Epstein’s ties to the Democrats’ Clintons.
Justice Department disputes the “client list.”
A memo from the Justice Department and the FBI last month denied the existence of any blackmail evidence or an incriminating client list.
Instead, they claimed that the files contained evidence that the courts have sealed and wouldn’t be made public to protect the victims’ privacy, including tens of thousands of videos and images of sexual abuse of young girls and women.
The memo stated that “we found no basis for the release of child pornography because of this review.”
“Bringing justice to victims and preventing child exploitation is one of our top priorities.” Epstein’s persistent, unsupported theories don’t accomplish either of those goals, it continued.
Epstein’s suicide was also stated in the memo, rejecting conspiracy theories that challenge the official account of events.
Long before Epstein’s death in 2019, the authorities were aware of his crimes.
Epstein was accused of sexually abusing teenage girls in 2008. However, if the case had gone to trial, the Justice Department offered him a plea deal that would have allowed him to spend 13 months in a work-release prison program.
Epstein, 66, passed away in his prison cell after being detained again in July 2019 for sex trafficking.
Maxwell, one of Epstein’s associates, is still serving time after being found guilty of child sex trafficking and child girl abuse.
In light of recent scrutiny, the Justice Department has sent representatives to interview Maxwell in jail, and last week she was moved to a minimum-security facility to serve the remainder of her 20-year sentence.
Source: Aljazeera
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