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House Oversight calls on DOJ to interview key Epstein witnesses, says govt. ‘failed’ survivors

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In short

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a comprehensive report on Tuesday detailing the federal government's decades-long handling of investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Committee Chair James Comer argued that the government has failed the survivors of their sex trafficking crimes. In addition to demanding that federal authorities re-interview essential witnesses, the panel urged the Department of Justice to grant survivors unredacted access to their personal records. Lawmakers are also pushing forward new legislation aimed at eliminating non-disclosure agreements that silence victims of sexual abuse.

Key points

  • Lawmakers want federal prosecutors to conduct new or follow-up interviews with critical w…: Lawmakers want federal prosecutors to conduct new or follow-up interviews with critical witnesses holding trafficking information.
  • The committee demanded further federal inquiries into criminal allegations that directly…: The committee demanded further federal inquiries into criminal allegations that directly involve Jeffrey Epstein's former associates.
  • Proposed congressional legislation would permit sexual abuse survivors to speak out despi…: Proposed congressional legislation would permit sexual abuse survivors to speak out despite having signed confidentiality agreements.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday released a sharply critical report on the federal government's handling of investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

"The federal government has failed the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's horrific crimes for decades," Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement.

The report called for the Department of Justice to interview or re-interview "key witnesses" with information about Epstein's sex trafficking of young women and girls, "further investigate allegations of criminal activity involving Epstein's associates, and provide survivors with unredacted access to their records."

The report also urged Congress to pass legislation sponsored by Comer that would allow survivors of sexual abuse to speak freely about it, even if they had signed confidentiality agreements.

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