House panel rebukes DOJ’s handling of Epstein case

(ABC NEWS) — In a report summarizing the conclusions of its 15-month Jeffrey Epstein probe, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee rebuked the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case and recommended that the department renew its investigation of Epstein’s associates.

The 136-page report blamed the failures by federal prosecutors on “poor judgment” and “Epstein’s pervasive and wide-reaching influence,” and criticized the DOJ for failing to prevent the convicted sex offender’s crimes through a controversial non-prosecution agreement in 2007 and for its recent efforts to release files about the case that included sensitive information about Epstein’s victims.

“Upon review, the Committee finds that the crimes committed by Epstein after 2005 could have been prevented and justice served had it not been for the failures of investigators and federal prosecutors in South Florida and Washington, D.C,” said the report on the committee’s probe into the federal government’s mishandling of investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

While the report applauded the release of the Epstein files, it also faulted the Justice Department for failing to comply with the requirements of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, improperly releasing sensitive information about victims, and preventing victims from full access to the files.

In response, a DOJ spokesperson said, “With all due respect, the Chairman’s recommendations have already been addressed. The Attorney General has repeatedly said that the Epstein case is not closed and there is no statute of limitations on human trafficking.”

“The Chairman should know that the FBI has a long-established ‘process for crime victims and their representatives to access personal files’ that starts by filing out form DOJ-361. The Committee notably fails to acknowledge the historical overlap between potential co-conspirators and victims, which all members who visited the reading room could see for themselves. The Department will continue following all additional investigative leads in matters relating to Jeffrey Epstein.”

The House panel’s report, authored by the Republican majority, also sought to vindicate President Donald Trump, who has long been embroiled in the controversy over the release of the files. The majority accused Democrats on the committee of being “obsessed with trying to implicate President Trump and insinuate that he was involved in the crimes of Epstein and Maxwell.”

Democrats on the Oversight Committee said the majority-authored report is incomplete and vowed to continue the investigation with the new Congress.

“Oversight Republicans have released a report based on an incomplete investigation and zero public hearings on Jeffrey Epstein,” said Rep. Robert Garcia. “We will not allow the President and his allies to dismiss this investigation. We intend to hold real public hearings uplifting survivors and asking tough questions of the powerful men who associated with Epstein, including Donald Trump. Our work is just getting started.”

The report had harsh words for several of the prominent individuals interviewed by the Committee — including President Bill Clinton, Leslie Wexner, and Leon Black — who said they were unaware of Epstein’s crimes.

“The Committee’s investigation instead tends to show that the willful ignorance of those in Epstein’s orbit enabled him to continue his offenses for so many years,” the report said.

Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial on August 10, 2019, in what was ruled a suicide by the New York Medical Examiner’s Office.