Without James Comer’s House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the world might never have seen the “birthday book” full of lewd materials or the trove of more than 20,000 documents elucidating the late convicted sex offender’s dealings with global power players — including President Donald Trump.
It would have been a career-defining triumph for any House Oversight Committee chair. But not for Comer, who expressed deep ambivalence about the ongoing probe in a recent interview.
That reflects the complicated and unpredictable fallout from the Epstein saga, which has helped derail the Republican congressional agenda and the opening year of Trump’s second term. It could also have implications for Comer’s own political ambitions — given his own belief that Americans’ minds might well be impervious to his panel’s conclusions.
“I fear the report will be like the Warren Report,” he said. “Nobody will ever believe it.”
Comer’s reference to the 1964 report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by Chief Justice Earl Warren underscores how the Epstein case has enthralled legions of skeptics who say the federal government is intent on protecting powerful men involved in the exploitation of young women and girls.
That was one big reason, Comer said, that he “wasn’t excited about doing the investigation.” Even now, he has not fully committed to releasing a final report, saying it would happen “eventually, I would assume.”
“There’s so many conspiracy theories,” he said, leaving unspoken that his reputation and legacy are now entwined with the case.
That’s a shift from where Comer had staked his political brand a year ago, as the top GOP investigator of Joe Biden. But his two-year effort to undermine the sitting president produced uneven results, with his impeachment probe focusing on Biden family business dealings never coming to a vote and his investigation into the former president’s alleged mental decline failing to deliver any bombshells.
So as he eyes a 2027 run for Kentucky governor, with his relationship with Trump likely to be central to his prospects, it’s the Epstein investigation that could determine Comer’s future in politics.
For months, House GOP leadership touted the Oversight probe as proof that Republicans were taking the Epstein case seriously — even as they fought efforts from within their own ranks to advance legislation that would force a complete release of the DOJ investigative files. In a twist last week, Trump gave up fighting the bill’s inevitable passage, signing the measure into law shortly after Congress approved it with just one dissenter.
The administration now has fewer than 30 days to make materials available to the public, with redactions to protect victims’ names and respect ongoing criminal investigations. Comer, meanwhile, must find a way to shepherd his committee’s investigation to some conclusion.
Asked what the logical end point of his probe would be, Comer was not quite sure.
He said he remains hopeful the bank records he has subpoenaed will turn up something notable. The chair recently demanded Epstein-related records from JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank and asked the attorney general for the U.S. Virgin Islands, whose jurisdiction includes the two private islands that Epstein owned, for additional materials.
Comer warned of various obstacles. Many of the crimes occurred decades ago, and evidence will be difficult to find. The key witness — Epstein — killed himself behind bars in 2019, while Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime co-conspirator now serving a 20-year sentence for her part in the sex trafficking crimes, has said she will not cooperate with the Oversight Committee’s questioning.
In an effort to try to satisfy calls on both sides of the aisle for some kind of “list,” Comer said he has tasked Democratic and Republican women on the Oversight Committee to meet privately with victims to try to learn the identities of people complicit in Epstein’s criminal activities.
“If there is no Epstein list, and the American people expect us to compose an Epstein list, if we don’t get any names from the victims, it’s going to be hard to do,” he said.
Jennifer Freeman, an attorney representing some of Epstein’s accusers, warned that Comer’s strategy could put the women at risk.
“Why are we putting the burden on them?” she said in an interview.
But the most significant challenge Comer faces is managing the political fallout for Trump and the GOP writ large.
Comer’s targeting of the Epstein estate uncovered materials that connect the president to the late financier. But Comer has continued to downplay the significance of the revelations and insist they show no signs of wrongdoing.
Democrats publicized widely the revelations inthe birthday book, with a racy drawing and message allegedly penned by Trump. They also blasted out a set of emails mentioning Trump, including one in which Epstein said that Trump “knew about the girls.”
Comer rejects the narrative that his investigation has been damaging for Trump and blamed his panel’s minority for disregarding committee norms in selectively releasing certain information the panel had received.
Speaking with reporters last week, Comer called the Oversight Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, “dishonest” and “awful,” among other personal attacks.
“I’m done with Garcia, criticizing me. He played the gay card,” Comer said. “He just needs to do TikTok videos or something. … He’s not a serious investigator. He’s like a TikTok video kind of guy.”
Comer added that Garcia “had limited abilities to begin with, but he’s burned his bridges with this.”
A spokesperson for Comer said the “gay card” comment referred to a September incident where Garcia invoked his sexuality after Comer called him a “drama queen” to reporters.
Garcia, who is gay, said in an interview it was “clear that Chairman Comer … and the committee Republicans have been outworked and outmaneuvered, and he’s clearly upset and panicking that we have been fighting every single day to release these files. … They’ve tried to bend the knee to Trump and coverup and be part of the White House cover-up.”
If Trump is displeased with Comer’s handling of the Epstein investigation, he hasn’t said so publicly, and there aren’t apparent rumblings inside the administration about friction.
“The president likes James Comer a lot,” a senior White House official who was granted anonymity to share private conversations said. “In fact, I spoke with [Trump] recently about [Comer] and he said he’s always been good and with him all the way. There’s no problems there.”
For Comer, there is another reason to endear himself to the president with this investigation: He’s eying a bid to succeed Gov. Andy Beshear in a state where Trump’s endorsement could have significant influence.
Comer said in the interview people were encouraging him to run, and he has been traveling statewide ahead of the potential race. He suspects Epstein will not be a major issue in the campaign, but his frequent TV hits discussing his investigative work have given him the opportunity to speak to Kentucky voters, he noted.
He said he has not spoken to the White House about the Epstein probe, and when asked how he suspects Trump views the probe, Comer said, “I don’t want to know, probably.”
Diana Nerozzi contributed to this report.
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