Washington — The Republican leader of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has issued a subpoena to the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein seeking documents and other material as part of its ongoing examination of the government’s investigation into Epstein.
The subpoena issued by Rep. James Comer of Kentucky demands the co-executors of Epstein’s estate turn over to the House committee more than a dozen categories of documents and communications, including material from 1990 through August 2019 that references all presidents and vice presidents, videos taken from Epstein’s properties and listings in his contact and address books.
Lawmakers are also seeking entries contained within a leather-bound book put together by Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, for his 50th birthday, the 2008 non-prosecution agreement reached with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida and Epstein’s will.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that President Trump had allegedly signed a “bawdy” letter to Epstein in the early 2000s to mark his 50th birthday that said, in part, “may every day be another wonderful secret.” The Journal reported that the leather-bound book was compiled by Maxwell and included submissions from dozens of associates, including billionaire Leslie Wexner attorney Alan Dershowitz and Mr. Trump.
The president called the letter reported by the Journal “fake” and filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper, its parent company and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over the story, seeking at least $20 billion in damages.
In addition to issuing the subpoena, Comer announced that Alex Acosta, who was serving as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida when Epstein was investigated, will voluntarily answer questions from the committee on Sept. 19.
Acosta was the top federal prosecutor in South Florida when federal authorities investigated Epstein in the 2000s and entered into a non-prosecution agreement that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution and plead guilty to state prostitution charges. Acosta went on to serve as secretary of labor during Mr. Trump’s first term, but resigned in 2019 amid questions about his handling of the Epstein case.
