A Republican-led congressional committee has subpoenaed documents from the estate of the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to a release on Monday.
The subpoena was signed by Congressman James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee. The estate is registered in the US Virgin Islands.
The letter demands that Epstein’s estate produce documents including a book that was compiled with notes from friends for his 50th birthday, his last will and testament, agreements he signed with prosecutors, his contacts “Black Book”, any non-disclosure agreements, and his financial transactions and holdings.
The move is the latest twist in a flurry of events surrounding the convicted sex trafficker’s links to rich and powerful people, especially Donald Trump whose rightwing base has long been consumed by conspiracy theories around Epstein.
Comer wrote to Epstein’s executors, attorneys Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, saying the committee “is reviewing the possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation of Mr Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Ghislaine Maxwell, the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Mr Epstein’s death, the operation of sex-trafficking rings and ways for the federal government to effectively combat them, and potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials”.
Earlier this month, the committee issued a subpoena to the justice department for records on the Epstein case. About 33,000 pages were handed over last week but Democrats on the committee said many were already in the public domain.
Additionally, the committee has issued deposition subpoenas to Bill and Hillary Clinton, former attorney generals James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, William Barr and Jeff Sessions, among others.
The new demand signals that the committee may not be satisfied by the recent release of an interview with Epstein co-conspirator Maxwell – a former British socialite – that was recently conducted by the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche.
Epstein’s estate, which was originally valued at $600m, dwindled to $40m after it paid out an estimated $170m in settlements to the more than 200 women and girls who were victims of his sex-trafficking operation.
A further $105m was paid to settle racketeering charges brought by the Virgin Islands. But it was recently re-capitalized by a tax refund to about $150m. Beneficiaries of the estate are said to include former girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, and the executors, Indyke and Kahn.
