HOUSE RETURNS TO PACKED SCHEDULE, LONG TO-DO LIST, AND EPSTEIN DRAMA

The reprieve has given Republicans breathing room to counter congressional Democrats’ attempts to compel the release of all Epstein-related documents, largely by seeking the files on their own terms. 

Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, is leading a GOP investigation and last week announced he would subpoena the Epstein estate for documents.

The Justice Department is simultaneously turning over documents to Comer and released its interview transcript with Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime Epstein confidante who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in the sexual abuse of minors.

It remains to be seen if the investigative steps will satisfy GOP lawmakers uncomfortable with the perception that the GOP is stonewalling the public on Epstein. Bondi denied a client list existed after telling Fox News that the document was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”

The White House subsequently insisted that Bondi was instead referring to the “entirety” of the documents relating to Epstein, but the comment was one of a series of actions that put her job on shaky ground.

In July, the DOJ also released footage to prove Epstein died by suicide in his New York jail cell, and not as a result of foul play, but a “missing minute” in the tapes that Bondi called routine ended up fueling public speculation that the administration was not being forthright.

Before the congressional break, the controversy paralyzed the House as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) struggled to settle on a strategy to unite his conference. House conservatives, in particular, wanted to see more of a plan before siding against the Democrats bringing forward Epstein-related resolutions.

More strikingly, Trump appeared powerless to shake the news cycle despite his reputation for being impervious to negative headlines. The story dominated even after perceived attempts to change the subject, including moves to prosecute Obama officials over claims of manufactured intelligence.

Johnson will need the support of House conservatives to restore order to the Rules Committee, which prepares legislation for the House floor, and defeat an Epstein transparency measure that leadership cannot prevent from receiving a vote.

The sponsors of the resolution, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) plan to hold a press conference with the sexual abuse survivors on Wednesday outside the Capitol.

The entire episode has torn at GOP unity, with Massie refusing to relent despite Republicans accusing him of playing into the Democrats’ hands with the Epstein measure, known as a discharge petition. Democrats on the Oversight Committee also forced a subpoena of the Justice Department in late July by peeling off three Republicans.

Now, Comer is giving Republicans a road map they can point to in the face of Democratic attacks. Members of the Oversight Committee will meet privately with the victims brought by Khanna and Massie on Tuesday. Comer planned to depose Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, on Tuesday as well as part of the Epstein investigation but withdrew the request due to his failing health.

Later this month, Comer plans to bring Alexander Acosta, Trump’s first labor secretary, to the Hill for a transcribed interview on Sept. 19. Acosta was the United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida when Epstein reached a plea deal with prosecutors in 2008.

Trump, for his part, has once again assumed control of the news cycle with his National Guard takeover of Washington and escalating feud with the Federal Reserve. Last week, Trump attempted to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook, who quickly filed a challenge in court.

For Trump, the Epstein saga is personal. Democrats have claimed that he is implicated in federal documents to explain why he’s dismissed the transparency push as a “hoax.”

“He’s [been] dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life,” Trump said of Epstein in July. “I don’t understand what the interest or what the fascination is, I really don’t. And the credible information’s been given.”

Trump, who had a yearslong relationship with Epstein, maintains his innocence while Republicans say that Congress needs to act methodically to protect the identities of sexual abuse victims named in the documents. 

Massie, for his part, claims that Republicans are afraid the documents’ release would put innocent men under public scrutiny.

“The thing about the files that everybody needs to understand is, there probably are lots of names in there who haven’t done anything criminal, and so there’s a reluctance to release these files because of the embarrassment – just having your name in the news,” Massie told reporters before lawmakers departed Washington.

“I always presumed that there were at least some of Trump’s friends named in this, and that might be why,” he added.

NINE TAKEAWAYS FROM DOJ INTERVIEW WITH GHISLAINE MAXWELL

The Justice Department investigation has, to some extent, aided Trump, with Maxwell testifying in her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that she never witnessed the president engage in any “inappropriate” behavior. Maxwell is seeking a pardon or commutation from Trump. 

In their congressional investigation, Republicans have extended subpoenas to prominent Democrats, including the Clintons, giving them until October to sit for a deposition. Subpoenaing an ex-president is not unprecedented but extremely rare.