House Oversight Committee Summons 10 High-Profile Witnesses, Including Former AGs and Clintons, to Testify on Jeffrey Epstein Case

Bill Barr, the former Attorney General, appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill for a deposition related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. This marks the first of ten high-profile witnesses, both Democrats and Republicans, who have been subpoenaed by the committee to testify about the matter.

The committee’s move comes amidst growing controversy within the House, with many Republicans advocating for increased transparency and the release of pertinent records. The committee has also issued a subpoena to the Department of Justice (DOJ), requesting any Epstein-related documents in their possession, with victim identities redacted. Barr’s appearance is scheduled just a day before the DOJ is due to deliver these records to the committee.

However, according to Rep. James Comer, chairman of the committee, there are concerns that the DOJ may not meet this deadline as they are still compiling the records. Comer expects the documents to be handed over “very soon.”

Barr served as Attorney General during President Donald Trump’s first term and was in office when Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on federal charges accusing him of sexually abusing underage girls at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal detention facility.

Upon Epstein’s death, Barr expressed his dismay and anger over the Metropolitan Correctional Center’s failure to secure the prisoner adequately. He announced that both the FBI and the DOJ’s internal watchdog would investigate Epstein’s death.

In 2023, the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General issued a critical report detailing multiple failures leading to Epstein’s death but found no evidence contradicting the “absence of criminality” in his death.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has delayed a vote by the full House to publicly release the DOJ’s Epstein files until September, citing a need to provide the administration with sufficient time to handle the matter.

In addition to Barr, the committee has also subpoenaed nine other individuals for private depositions between August and mid-October. These include former Attorneys General Merrick Garland, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, and Alberto Gonzales; former FBI Director James Comey; former special counsel and FBI Director Robert Mueller III; former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton; and former President Bill Clinton.