MS NOW's Joe Scarborough warned Republicans that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has established a precedent that's certain to backfire.
The Kentucky Republican has compelled the testimony of Bill and Hillary Clinton later this month about their association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the "Morning Joe" host said that opens the door to forcing President Donald Trump to testify about his own lengthy friendship with the late financier.
"It kind of takes yourbreath away," Scarborough said. "You remember when [Olympic gymnast] Mary Lou Retton, like, on oneleg, did all this, and then shelands. You're like, how could she do that?Right? That's the reactionevery time James Comer and thiscommittee does something evenmore stupid than I think ishumanly possible, and you'relike, oh my God, I wish I had Jim McKay, like, and that voicein the background talking about,like, spanning the globe tofind the dumbest committeechair people ever, becausethat's exactly what's going tohappen. By the way, anybodyover 80 knows exactly who I'mtalking about, I got you."
The president, his wife and his businesses are mentioned more than 38,000 times in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice, and Scarborough said many of his top administration officials turned up there as well.
"Anyway, that's going to happen, and it's going to happennot only to Donald Trump, it'sgoing to happen to [Commerce Secretary] Howard Lutnick," Scarborough said. "Get your subpoenaboots on, Howard, becauseyou're going to be going thanksto James Comer to the Hillafter Democrats take control. Howard Lutnick, the commercesecretary who lied about hisconnections with Epstein – Elon Musk, same there. He's going tobe subpoenaed by Congressbecause he lied about hiscontacts with Jeffrey Epstein.Donald Trump, as you said,going to be brought in becausenone other than Elon Musk saidthat Donald Trump was was allover the Epstein files, andthat's, quote, the real reasonthey've not been released.Thank you for that Elon Musk."
"So yeah, Comer has laid theprecedent for Donald Trumpbeing called up there," he added. "The manwho's been nominated to be thenext Fed chair, also contactswith Jeffrey Epstein showed upin the Epstein files. He'sgoing to be called up to the Hill because of James Comer, because of the precedent James Comer set."
Attorney General Pam Bondi would certainly have compelling testimony, Scarborough said, because she served the same role in Florida shortly after Epstein reached a controversial plea agreement – thanks to Trump's first labor secretary, Alex Acosta – back in 2007 with the help of attorneys Alan Dershowitz and Kenneth Starr, who represented Trump during his second impeachment trial in January 2020.
"I would love to hear how Pam Bondi could explain how she wasattorney general for the stateof Florida from 2011 to 2019,and she never raised a questionin a serious, meaningful wayabout the resident of herstate, Jeffrey Epstein," Scarborough said. "That's going tomake an absolutely fascinating,fascinating governmentoversight, judiciary hearing, and the thing about that alsois, say, it's not like anybodycould act shocked. Oh, I justdidn't know I could. We weretalking about it in 2015. Wewere talking about it in 2016.I kept asking, why is this guyout? I don't understand why isthis guy walking the streets of Florida right now?"
"So again,what James Comer has done andreally what I've been warningyou Republicans all aboutreally over the past year iswhen you set precedents likethese really bad precedents,they're going to be followed bythe next people who replace you," he added. "You're not going to be in powerforever. This is just bad. It'sjust bad to be doing thisbecause, again, the precedentsthat are being set."