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

Key Points:

• House Judiciary Committee Democrats are urging the appointment of an independent special counsel to investigate President Donald Trump’s alleged criminal connections to Jeffrey Epstein, citing sufficient evidence to warrant a criminal probe.
• The report accuses the Justice Department under Trump of obstructing investigations into Epstein’s co-conspirators and covering up the president’s ties, highlighting conflicts of interest involving Attorney General Todd Blanche.
• Democrats emphasize that if they regain control of Congress in the midterms, they will have greater power to issue subpoenas and conduct robust investigations into Trump’s connections to Epstein and alleged corruption within his administration.
• The Justice Department dismissed the report as a political tactic and noted that it complied with congressional demands by releasing millions of investigative documents related to Epstein, while also pointing out that federal charges against Epstein were brought during the Trump administration.
• Trump has denied involvement with Epstein’s criminal activities, stating he cut ties before allegations became public, though he previously described Epstein as a “terrific guy” before Epstein’s crimes were widely known.