CNN's Kasie Hunt pressed House Ways and Means Committee chair Jason Smith (R-MO) Tuesday on using his subpoena powers to light the fuse on the Jeffrey Epstein files instead of waiting an entire month until lawmakers are back from August recess.
Smith maintained that Americans don't care about the Epstein issue enough for him to take extraordinary steps to release the information.
But Hunt didn't back away.
"There are enough members of your conference who say they care about it, that [House Speaker Mike Johnson] says, 'Hey, we gotta go home early.'" She then asked if there was "any world" in which he would use the power of the subpoena "to learn more about Epstein's finances."
"That is not a common thing that I have utilized within the Ways and Means Committee," Smith said. "But if I felt like that it was a priority for Americans, then, of course. But, like I said, this has not been something that's been a driving force."
Hunt then turned the tables on Smith, saying, "But, you did use subpoena power with Hunter Biden."
"Exactly, we have the authority to use it," Smith said. "But that is the only time that I have used it."
He then reiterated that Epstein "is not the priority of the everyday American who's working 9 to 5, just trying to put food on their table, clothes on their backs, and gasoline in their cars. That is not their focus."
Smith used the subpoena power in December 2023 to require Hunter Biden to appear for a deposition in what he called "the Biden family influence peddling scheme."