House Oversight Committee releases thousands of pages of Epstein files

by · UPI

Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday released 33,295 pages of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking of minors case and provided by the Justice Department.

The released files are available online and have been redacted to protect the identities of any victims and remove any child sexual abuse content, ABC News reported.

Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer Jr., R-Ky., on Aug. 5 subpoenaed the Justice Department to obtain the records.

"The Department of Justice has indicated it will continue producing those records while ensuring the redaction of victim identities and child sexual abuse material," a committee news release said.

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The released files include video content, including a recording of a young woman who recalled her experience as a masseuse for Epstein, according to Politico.

The woman's face and that of the interviewer are blurred to protect their identities.

The Justice Department turned over the files to the House committee members in August, who reviewed the files for a week before making them public on Tuesday.

Committee member Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., estimated that 97% of the files already had been made public and only about 3% are new.

Epstein was a wealthy financier who owned a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, was a convicted sex offender and committed suicide while jailed in New York City in 2019 and awaiting trial on federal charges that accused him of sex trafficking of minors.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday also met several Epstein victims behind closed doors.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., left the committee room early and was visibly upset, The Hill reported.

Mace afterward on social media said she had a "full-blown panic attack" while listening to the victims. The representative previously announced she was a sexual assault survivor.

"As a recent survivor (not 2 years in), I had a very difficult time listening to their stories," she said in a post on X.

"I feel the immense pain of how hard all victims are fighting for themselves because we know absolutely no one will fight for us," she added.