The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has issued a subpoena to the Jeffrey Epstein estate.
Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) signed the subpoena on August 25, targeting the estate’s co-executors, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn. The subpoena demands 16 categories of documents spanning from 1990 through August 2019, including several high-profile items that have captured public attention.
The most notable request involves Ghislaine Maxwell’s “birthday book,” a leather-bound collection of messages compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. This book has become particularly controversial following a Wall Street Journal report that claimed it contained a sexually suggestive letter allegedly signed by President Donald Trump, which Trump has vehemently denied and sued the Journal over, seeking $10 billion in damages.
Other significant documents requested include:
- Epstein’s “Black Book” and contact lists containing names and addresses from his extensive network
- Flight logs from all aircraft owned, rented, or operated by Epstein
- Financial records including bank accounts, transactions, and cryptocurrency holdings
- Property records from his various homes, including the infamous Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Video and photography from security systems at all his properties
- Non-disclosure agreements executed between 1990 and 2019
The subpoena is the latest request in the review of what Comer described as “the possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell.”
The Justice Department recently delivered thousands of pages of Epstein-related documents to Congress, but Democrats on the committee have criticized these releases as insufficient.
“DOJ’s limited disclosure raises more questions than answers and makes clear that the White House is not interested in justice for the victims or the truth,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
Notably, the subpoena cover letter indicates that the estate appears willing to cooperate with the congressional investigation. Comer wrote that “it is our understanding the Estate is ready and willing to provide these documents to the Committee pursuant to a subpoena”.
The committee has set strict guidelines for document production, requiring electronic format with proper indexing and explicitly stating it does not recognize various privileges including attorney-client privilege and non-disclosure agreements in this context.
Beyond the estate subpoena, the committee has issued subpoenas to multiple former government officials, including former Presidents Bill and Hillary Clinton, former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller, and former attorneys general spanning multiple administrations.
