Congress
‘Nobody will ever believe it’: James Comer airs doubts about his own Epstein investigation
Without James Comer’s House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the world might never have seen the “birthday book” full of lewd materials or the trove of more than 20,000 documents elucidating the late convicted sex offender’s dealings with global power players — including President Donald Trump.
It would have been a career-defining triumph for any House Oversight Committee chair. But not for Comer, who expressed deep ambivalence about the ongoing probe in a recent interview.
That reflects the complicated and unpredictable fallout from the Epstein saga, which has helped derail the Republican congressional agenda and the opening year of Trump’s second term. It could also have implications for Comer’s own political ambitions — given his own belief that Americans’ minds might well be impervious to his panel’s conclusions.
“I fear the report will be like the Warren Report,” he said. “Nobody will ever believe it.”
Comer’s reference to the 1964 report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by Chief Justice Earl Warren underscores how the Epstein case has enthralled legions of skeptics who say the federal government is intent on protecting powerful men involved in the exploitation of young women and girls.
That was one big reason, Comer said, that he “wasn’t excited about doing the investigation.” Even now, he has not fully committed to releasing a final report, saying it would happen “eventually, I would assume.”
“There’s so many conspiracy theories,” he said, leaving unspoken that his reputation and legacy are now entwined with the case.
That’s a shift from where Comer had staked his political brand a year ago, as the top GOP investigator of Joe Biden. But his two-year effort to undermine the sitting president produced uneven results, with his impeachment probe focusing on Biden family business dealings never coming to a vote and his investigation into the former president’s alleged mental decline failing to deliver any bombshells.
So as he eyes a 2027 run for Kentucky governor, with his relationship with Trump likely to be central to his prospects, it’s the Epstein investigation that could determine Comer’s future in politics.
For months, House GOP leadership touted the Oversight probe as proof that Republicans were taking the Epstein case seriously — even as they fought efforts from within their own ranks to advance legislation that would force a complete release of the DOJ investigative files. In a twist last week, Trump gave up fighting the bill’s inevitable passage, signing the measure into law shortly after Congress approved it with just one dissenter.
The administration now has fewer than 30 days to make materials available to the public, with redactions to protect victims’ names and respect ongoing criminal investigations. Comer, meanwhile, must find a way to shepherd his committee’s investigation to some conclusion.
Asked what the logical end point of his probe would be, Comer was not quite sure.
He said he remains hopeful the bank records he has subpoenaed will turn up something notable. The chair recently demanded Epstein-related records from JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank and asked the attorney general for the U.S. Virgin Islands, whose jurisdiction includes the two private islands that Epstein owned, for additional materials.
Comer warned of various obstacles. Many of the crimes occurred decades ago, and evidence will be difficult to find. The key witness — Epstein — killed himself behind bars in 2019, while Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime co-conspirator now serving a 20-year sentence for her part in the sex trafficking crimes, has said she will not cooperate with the Oversight Committee’s questioning.
In an effort to try to satisfy calls on both sides of the aisle for some kind of “list,” Comer said he has tasked Democratic and Republican women on the Oversight Committee to meet privately with victims to try to learn the identities of people complicit in Epstein’s criminal activities.
“If there is no Epstein list, and the American people expect us to compose an Epstein list, if we don’t get any names from the victims, it’s going to be hard to do,” he said.
Jennifer Freeman, an attorney representing some of Epstein’s accusers, warned that Comer’s strategy could put the women at risk.
“Why are we putting the burden on them?” she said in an interview.
But the most significant challenge Comer faces is managing the political fallout for Trump and the GOP writ large.
Comer’s targeting of the Epstein estate uncovered materials that connect the president to the late financier. But Comer has continued to downplay the significance of the revelations and insist they show no signs of wrongdoing.
Democrats publicized widely the revelations inthe birthday book, with a racy drawing and message allegedly penned by Trump. They also blasted out a set of emails mentioning Trump, including one in which Epstein said that Trump “knew about the girls.”
Comer rejects the narrative that his investigation has been damaging for Trump and blamed his panel’s minority for disregarding committee norms in selectively releasing certain information the panel had received.
Speaking with reporters last week, Comer called the Oversight Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, “dishonest” and “awful,” among other personal attacks.
“I’m done with Garcia, criticizing me. He played the gay card,” Comer said. “He just needs to do TikTok videos or something. … He’s not a serious investigator. He’s like a TikTok video kind of guy.”
Comer added that Garcia “had limited abilities to begin with, but he’s burned his bridges with this.”
A spokesperson for Comer said the “gay card” comment referred to a September incident where Garcia invoked his sexuality after Comer called him a “drama queen” to reporters.
Garcia, who is gay, said in an interview it was “clear that Chairman Comer … and the committee Republicans have been outworked and outmaneuvered, and he’s clearly upset and panicking that we have been fighting every single day to release these files. … They’ve tried to bend the knee to Trump and coverup and be part of the White House cover-up.”
If Trump is displeased with Comer’s handling of the Epstein investigation, he hasn’t said so publicly, and there aren’t apparent rumblings inside the administration about friction.
“The president likes James Comer a lot,” a senior White House official who was granted anonymity to share private conversations said. “In fact, I spoke with [Trump] recently about [Comer] and he said he’s always been good and with him all the way. There’s no problems there.”
For Comer, there is another reason to endear himself to the president with this investigation: He’s eying a bid to succeed Gov. Andy Beshear in a state where Trump’s endorsement could have significant influence.
Comer said in the interview people were encouraging him to run, and he has been traveling statewide ahead of the potential race. He suspects Epstein will not be a major issue in the campaign, but his frequent TV hits discussing his investigative work have given him the opportunity to speak to Kentucky voters, he noted.
He said he has not spoken to the White House about the Epstein probe, and when asked how he suspects Trump views the probe, Comer said, “I don’t want to know, probably.”
Diana Nerozzi contributed to this report.
Rep. Max Miller issued a subpoena to his former father-in-law and fellow Ohio Republican, Sen. Bernie Moreno, in the latest escalation of a long-running family legal drama.
Pamela MacAdams, an attorney for Miller, reported to the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court Monday that three subpoenas were served in Miller’s divorce case, according to court records. A person with knowledge of the subpoenas granted anonymity to comment on them said that two were sent to Moreno and his wife, Bridget.
Their daughter, Emily Moreno, was married to Miller, and the two remain embroiled in a nasty legal battle.
Spokespeople for Miller, Emily Moreno and Bernie Moreno did not immediately return requests for comment. TMZ first reported on the subpoenas.
Miller is seeking reelection in a competitive district, and his campaign has been marred by accusations of domestic abuse against Emily Moreno and their daughter. Miller has repeatedly denied the allegations and chose to remain in the race despite other Republican lawmakers pressuring him to withdraw his campaign.
The House Ethics Committee, which began an inquiry into Miller after Miller asked to be investigated, is currently in a preelection blackout period. During that period, which will continue through the midterms, the Ethics Committee doesn’t take any action against sitting members who could return next Congress.
Congress
Trump declares $1B canceled in ‘pocket rescission’ in another affront to Congress’ funding power
President Donald Trump informed congressional leaders Friday that he has unilaterally canceled almost $1 billion without Congress’ consent — employing a budget maneuver many lawmakers consider illegal.
In a move that will almost certainly set up an ugly government funding battle after the midterms, Trump has again claimed the power to execute a so-called “pocket rescission” to nix money Congress has already enacted. The money his administration will claw back is for for immigration services, support to foreign countries, education programs, health research efforts and assistance for businesses owned by minorities.
By law, the president is allowed to send Congress a request to rescind federal funding, then withhold that money for 45 days while lawmakers consider whether to approve, reject or ignore it. Trump administration officials also argue they have the power to cancel funding without any congressional action by sending Congress a rescission request with less than 45 days left in the fiscal year. The argument is that the money automatically gets canceled on Sept. 30, when funding lapses at the end of the fiscal year.
Last year, Trump canceled $4.9 billion in foreign aid.
The Senate’s top Republican appropriator, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, immediately blasted the move as illegal, saying in a statement Friday night that “any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.”
“This move shows that OMB intentionally withheld these funds for months to execute this unlawful cancellation of appropriations that were approved on a bipartisan basis and signed into law,” Collins added, pledging to work with other lawmakers “to address these illegal actions.”
Collins and other appropriators have already been on high alert in recent days, pressing multiple agencies about funding officials have yet to spend ahead of the expiration date.
Democrats are finally catching on to how to talk to young male voters in the lead-up to the midterms, but the party can still up its game, one battleground senator and potential 2028er said Friday.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has been one of his party’s most outspoken critics on its handling of outreach to young men, who swung right and helped deliver the White House and both chambers of Congress to Republicans in 2024.
The party is now “definitely moving in the right direction,” Gallego said Friday.
“Like back in the day, I was like the only one,” putting out positions on men, Gallego said at a Washington event on young American men. “Now, like, it seems like everyone every week is coming out with a new position, new idea, which is great.”
Gallego has criticized Democrat’s failure to highlight mens’ struggles and their tendency to over-police mens’ ideas. But there are signs the political winds have shifted in his party’s favor.
A new Cygnal poll released with the event of men ages 18-30 who say they’re the most determined to vote revealed Democrats’ generic ballot lead over Republicans at 57%-40%, Blue Light News reported. The poll also said nearly 40 percent of respondents said they feel their lives are off track.
“We need to take the opportunity to invest in that portion of this country, to say that we care about them and actually try to change the trajectory of what’s happening with men in this country,” Gallego said at the symposium.
Still, the path for specific legislation targeting the needs of this demographic faces an incredibly tight calendar this Congress and is uncertain in the political landscape of next year.
A proposal from Gallego and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) to establish a men’s health office within the Department of Health and Human Services, for example, has not advanced. Nor has bipartisan legislation from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who also spoke at the event, targeting education outcomes, college investment transparency and dyslexic student support.
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