The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wants to hear from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in July about his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, Chair James Comer told reporters Wednesday.
“I think we all know he has a big confirmation coming up,” the Kentucky Republican said of Blanche, whom President Donald Trump nominated earlier this week to formally lead the Justice Department. “I’ve always wanted Blanche to come in … We have questions.”
Comer said he was communicating with the Justice Department about extending an invitation for Blanche to sit for an interview as part of the panel’s ongoing Epstein investigation. The request comes after former Attorney General Pam Bondi told the Oversight Committee in a recent transcribed interview that Blanche, as her deputy, was responsible for overseeing the release of the Epstein materials — a process that included delays and botched redactions.
“The main thing that we have for Blanche is the question on what, if any, documents are left out there,” Comer continued. “So that’s the main question.”
High Stakes for Blanche
Should the Justice Department agree to make him available, the meeting would come at a particularly high-stakes moment for Blanche. He cannot afford to lose much support from Republicans in the Senate and still be confirmed as the nation’s top prosecutor.
Democrats on the Oversight Committee have been calling on Comer to have Blanche in to speak with them and indicated they could force a vote to subpoena him, should Comer decline to facilitate Blanche’s engagement with the panel under less aggressive circumstances.
But it is not clear that Democrats were satisfied with Comer’s commitment to convene a transcribed interview. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told reporters his members want Blanche to appear in a formal, sworn deposition — if not an open hearing.
“It’s not enough to just get Blanche in,” Garcia said. “We have to have Blanche under oath, it’s got to be videotaped and released to the public.”
Gates Testifies, Dershowitz Next
Comer shared his intentions Wednesday morning as he headed in for a transcribed interview with tech mogul Bill Gates, who is poised to discuss his ties to Epstein with lawmakers and committee staff investigators.
Gates told lawmakers he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, despite their years-long relationship after Epstein’s 2008 sex crime conviction. “I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct,” Gates said in his opening statement. “I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone.”
Comer also indicated he wanted to hear from Alan Dershowitz, the criminal defense lawyer who once represented Epstein, after the committee’s Tuesday transcribed interview with Epstein’s former assistant, Lesley Groff. Dershowitz said he did not recall any conversations with Groff beyond her secretarial duties.
“I repeatedly have asked to testify,” he said in an interview Wednesday, noting he was ready and willing to answer the panel’s questions.
The Bottom Line
House Oversight Chair James Comer is demanding that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testify in July about his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The request comes as Blanche faces a Senate confirmation vote to become permanent attorney general. Democrats want Blanche to testify under oath in a public setting, not just in a transcribed interview. The committee also heard from Bill Gates on Wednesday, who denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, and plans to hear from Alan Dershowitz.
