House Democrats call on DOJ to name special counsel in Epstein case

WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Committee Democrats are calling for an independent special counsel to investigate evidence of President Donald Trump’s alleged criminal ties to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report made public Monday.

“The bottom line,” they wrote in the report, “There is more than sufficient evidence to launch a criminal investigation.”

They acknowledged the Justice Department under Trump would be unlikely to appoint a special counsel, — such as Robert Mueller who ran the Russia investigation or Jack Smith, who led the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The president has repeatedly denied any knowledge of, or involvement in, Epstein’s criminal activity and said he cut ties well before allegations of sex trafficking by the financier became public.

“None of these allegations are true. This ‘report’ is nothing more than a desperate attempt by crazed Democrats to distract Americans from the surging Republican momentum driven by President Trump’s historic achievements,” said Lauren Bis, a White House spokeswoman. “The President kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club at Mar-a-Lago because he was a creep.”

The report comes on the brink of the midterm elections, when Democrats are hoping to seize control of Congress as the president’s approval rating tanks over the economy, affordability and the war with Iran. The report signaled an avenue of focus for lawmakers in January should Democrats win a chamber of Congress.

A bipartisan law signed by Congress last November ordered the release of millions of documents related to the case against Epstein, who died by suicide in jail while awaiting federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Many of America’s wealthy and powerful appear in the files, including Trump, who is mentioned thousands of times.

But only one person was ever convicted, Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. No one else has been charged in the United States.

Right now, Democratic oversight efforts have been limited because they are in the minority in Congress, unable to compel witness testimony or solicit documents through subpoena without the help of Republicans. While the Republican-led House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed several Epstein associates and Republicans helped to pass the Epstein Transparency Act, they have been largely unwilling to look deeper into Trump’s ties to the late sex offender.

Democrats’ power would change dramatically should the party win the majority back in either chamber. They would be able to issue subpoenas with or without the help of Republicans. In addition to the Epstein probe, Democratic leaders have promised robust investigations into alleged corruption and grift in Trump’s administration and family businesses.

In their report released Monday, Democrats accuse the Justice Department of obstructing investigations into potential Epstein co-conspirators, including, they say, Trump. The report alleges the DOJ worked to cover up the president’s connections to Epstein, and said an independent special counsel is necessary, because Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was once Trump’s personal attorney, was compromised.

“The women who survived Epstein deserve to be heard, Congress must have the complete files required by law, and an independent special counsel must investigate Epstein’s co-conspirators and DOJ’s cover-up and ensure that state and foreign prosecutors have the evidence they need to pursue justice,” Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the panel’s top Democrat, said in a statement.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment Sunday evening on the report.

The Democrats vowed to continue investigating it themselves.

“Given DOJ and FBI’s abdication of their law enforcement duties and prosecutorial ethics, there is little reason to believe this administration will take even this minimal step,” according to the report. “Accordingly, Congress must continue to use its legislative and oversight powers to pursue justice for survivors and bring an end to the Trump Administration’s shameful, bureaucratic, and political cover-up.”

Trump was at one point friends with Epstein. “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002, before there were any public allegations of wrongdoing by the financier. “He’s a lot of fun to be with,” Trump said then. “It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 in a Florida state court to felony solicitation of prostitution and procuring minors for prostitution, in a heavily-criticized plea deal. He was sentenced to 18 months, though he served about a year before he was released.

He was arrested in 2019 on a federal sex trafficking conspiracy charge and one count of sex trafficking underage women.

After Epstein’s arrest, Trump, who was president at the time, distanced himself from the disgraced financier. “I was not a fan,” he told reporters at a July 2019 news conference. “I had a falling out with him a long time ago.”

The staff report on Epstein released Monday draws on interviews the staff conducted with witnesses, as well as files released by the Justice Department related to its investigation of Epstein.

Yamiche Alcindor contributed.