Democratic members of the US House Judiciary Committee have called on Attorney General Todd Blanche to appoint an independent special investigator to examine President Donald Trump’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the Justice Department’s handling of documents related to the case.
The request was made in a 53-page report released on Monday, 26 October, eight days before the 3 November midterm elections, in which control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate is at stake.
The report says information concerning 11 women, including allegations by five women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual abuse in Epstein’s presence or in connection with him, should be independently investigated. It draws on interviews conducted by committee staff, accounts from the women, FBI records and publicly released documents relating to Epstein.
Jamie Raskin, the committee’s senior Democrat, accused the Justice Department and the FBI of obstructing efforts to establish the full extent of the Epstein case by halting investigations and concealing evidence. He said an independent investigator was needed to examine Trump’s ties to Epstein and identify any potential accomplices.
The report also questioned Blanche’s conduct during two days of interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and associate, who was convicted of sex trafficking. Democrats alleged that Blanche had asked Maxwell not to discuss a particular woman whose account implicated Trump in the case. They cited the allegation as another reason for an independent investigation.
