Former Attorney General Bill Barr informed House investigators that he encountered no information linking President Donald Trump to the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein.
According to a Fox News report, Barr made these statements during a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, emphasizing his belief that any incriminating details about Trump related to Epstein would have been leaked by the Biden administration. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, shared these details with reporters midway through the session, highlighting Barr's assertion that he had never seen anything implicating Trump in the matter.
Barr further told the committee he was unaware of any so-called client list associated with Epstein and had no discussions with Trump regarding such a document. Comer relayed that Barr expressed surprise at the idea of negative information about Trump existing without it being disclosed by the Biden administration prior to the presidential election.
Barr's testimony marks the initial appearance in an ongoing bipartisan investigation by the House Oversight Committee into how the federal government managed the Jeffrey Epstein case, which involves subpoenas to multiple high-profile figures. This probe has extended to several former attorneys general, FBI directors, and even former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, stemming from concerns over Epstein's handling and related connections.
A House subcommittee previously voted in favor of subpoenaing the Clintons due to their ties to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's associate, who was convicted in connection with his crimes. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has accused the Trump administration of withholding Epstein-related files and has threatened legal action to obtain them.
Democrats present during the first portion of Barr's deposition, including Rep. Suhas Subramanyam from Virginia, described the session as leaving them with more unanswered questions than before. Subramanyam criticized the Republican questioning as insufficient, stating that Democrats were handling the majority of the substantive inquiries while Republicans appeared to contribute less to uncovering new details.
Comer responded to the Democratic critiques by expressing disappointment that they seemed intent on injecting politics into what he views as a necessary oversight effort. He suggested that such accusations undermine the bipartisan nature of the investigation, which aims to examine the government's overall response to Epstein's activities and death.
Barr, who served as attorney general from February 2019 to December 2020 under Trump, was in that role when Epstein died by suicide in a New York City jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. This was Barr's second time leading the Department of Justice, having previously held the position under former President George H.W. Bush.
At a Fraternal Order of Police event in New Orleans shortly after Epstein's death, Barr publicly stated he was appalled and angry about the jail facility's inability to properly secure the high-profile prisoner. He later informed the Associated Press that he personally examined security footage from the night of the incident, which reportedly showed no individuals entering Epstein's cell.
Barr concluded to the Associated Press that Epstein's death resulted from a series of errors at the jail, describing it as a perfect storm of operational failures. When questioned about whether Barr reiterated this view to House investigators, Comer avoided speaking directly for him but noted a widespread agreement that Epstein took his own life without outside interference.
The investigation seeks to address broader questions about potential oversights or mishandlings in Epstein's prosecution and custody, including why certain documents or lists have not surfaced publicly. Comer indicated that the Department of Justice is expected to release additional Epstein-related documents in the near future, as mentioned in discussions around the probe's launch.
Barr specifically denied having seen any files or information that placed Trump in Epstein's records, reinforcing his stance that such material, if existent, would likely have been exposed earlier. This aspect of the testimony aligns with Comer's portrayal of Barr's confidence in the absence of any implicating evidence against the president.
Bill Barr, the former attorney general under President Donald Trump, testified on Monday in a closed-door session to the House Oversight Committee that no evidence he reviewed connected Trump to Jeffrey Epstein's criminal acts involving sex trafficking and abuse. The testimony occurred in Washington, D.C., as part of a bipartisan effort to scrutinize federal agencies' management of Epstein's case, driven by lingering public doubts about transparency and potential high-level involvement.
Chairman James Comer revealed Barr's comments to highlight the lack of ties, suggesting the probe aims to uncover why Epstein's death and related investigations may have been inadequately handled by authorities. Future steps include testimonies from other subpoenaed individuals, such as former FBI directors and the Clintons, with potential for more document releases from the Department of Justice to clarify unresolved aspects.
This inquiry reflects ongoing concerns over Epstein's 2019 suicide in custody, which Barr attributed to jail mismanagement, and could lead to recommendations for improved oversight in similar high-profile cases. Additional revelations might emerge as Democrats push for deeper questioning, potentially influencing public perceptions of government accountability in the matter.
