Former FBI Director James Comey will not testify in a Republican-led investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Comey was expected to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday as part of an ongoing inquiry into Epstein, a deceased financier and convicted sex offender. Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) had summoned Comey for testimony last month.
However, in an October 1 letter to Comer, Comey stated that there was no “information related to the committee’s investigation” that he could provide.
“I will provide this letter instead of a deposition that would waste time and resources of the Committee,” Comey wrote.
Comey previously served as Deputy Attorney General from 2003 to 2005 and then as FBI Director from September 2013 to 2017. During these tenures, he has been scrutinized by oversight panels seeking details about Epstein’s actions from 1990 until his death in prison in 2019.
In his letter, Comey mentioned he recalls having information and conversations about both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently incarcerated for 20 years for crimes related to sex trafficking. Maxwell was Epstein’s former companion and associate.
The letter is bound by federal law stipulating that providing a false statement to a government agent is a crime. Given this, Comer accepted Comey’s statement and withdrew the subpoena for his testimony.
Comey’s response echoes those from previous Attorney Generals like Eric Holder and Merrick Garland, for whom Comer had also recently canceled subpoenas.
Additionally, two prominent individuals—former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—have been called to testify before the oversight committee this month. It’s unclear if their testimonies will occur as scheduled, and a spokesman for Comer declined to provide further comments.
The situation reflects an ongoing conflict in approaches to the Epstein investigation.
Top Republican figures, including former President Trump and Representative Mike Johnson (R-La.), are pushing to continue their investigations, arguing it’s the best way to gather information promptly. Comer has already released thousands of documents obtained through subpoenas from the Department of Justice and Epstein’s estate as part of this initiative.
Critics assert that the Trump administration is selectively releasing documents to shield wealthy Republican donors and associates. Some lawmakers are advocating for legislation to mandate the publication of all government files related to Epstein and Maxwell, an initiative supported by numerous victims of Epstein.
Despite this push, Johnson has yet to bring the measure to a vote. However, the bill’s main sponsor has indicated a discharge petition may be pursued to force a vote. That petition currently has 217 signatures, just one short of the needed threshold. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has indicated she would sign it once she is sworn into her position.
Nevertheless, due to the government shutdown, Johnson has canceled all housing votes since Grijalva’s election, leading to accusations that Speaker Johnson is stalling to protect Trump by delaying the vote on the discharge petition.
