House committee subpoenas Epstein files

What happened

The House Oversight Committee Tuesday issued subpoenas to the Justice Department for documents related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. The Republican-led committee also demanded testimony or files from six former attorneys general, two former FBI directors, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Justice Department's decision last month to withhold much of the subpoenaed information has caused an enduring political headache for President Donald Trump, a former friend of Epstein.

Who said what

The subpoenas showed that "interest in the Epstein files is still running high," even with Congress "on a monthlong break," The Associated Press said. If the Justice Department fails to comply by an Aug. 19 deadline, it could "set up a high-profile clash" between the Trump administration and the GOP-led House over an "issue that has sharply divided Republicans," The New York Times said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

What next?

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) was "required" to issue Tuesday's subpoenas following a bipartisan vote in a subcommittee last month, prompted by Democrats, Politico said. But the Bill Clinton summons "in particular seems more symbolic than substantive," as no former president has ever "testified to Congress under the compulsion of a subpoena."