Rep. James Comer (R-KY) insisted Tuesday that evidence his House Oversight Committee has gathered in the Jeffrey Epstein case doesn't implicate President Donald Trump in the slightest — and in doing so, upended his own argument, according to one analyst.
Comer told reporters earlier in the day, “Let’s be clear. The Democrats don’t care about transparency or accountability in this matter. The evidence we’ve gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way. Public reporting, survivor testimony, and official documents show that Bill Clinton had far closer ties to Epstein."
Edith Olmsted of The New Republic questioned Comer's logic.
"If what House Oversight Chair James Comer says is true, then shouldn’t Republican lawmakers be rushing to release the government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein?" she asked.
Olmsted said that if the files actually clear the president of wrongdoing and point the finger at a prominent Democrat, Republicans would likely make "every effort" to publish such damning evidence. That's not happening.
"Democrats are the ones demanding the files be released in full, and Republicans—namely House Speaker Mike Johnson—are the ones blocking it," wrote Olmsted.
She added, "In attempting to attack the Democrats, Comer revealed Tuesday just how deluded his own party has become."
A bipartisan House discharge petition led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) seek a full vote to compel the release of government files related to Epstein. They are close to securing the required 218 signatures to bring the issue to the floor of the House. Johnson’s refusal to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) is thwarting the effort.
Comer's House Oversight Committee has been investigating Epstein’s activities and has released tens of thousands of pages of documents, including call logs, schedules showing Epstein’s meetings with notable figures such as Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, Peter Thiel, and Prince Andrew.
The committee also released the transcript of an interview with former Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who was the prosecutor overseeing Epstein’s 2008 sweetheart plea deal.