The fight to release Jeffrey Epstein’s files has turned into something far messier than anyone expected. According to Politico, the House investigation is already struggling with a stack of issues, but the biggest challenge may be convincing anyone to trust whatever eventually comes out.
James Comer, who’s leading the investigation, said the entire process is drowning in speculation before the files even hit the public. He didn’t sugarcoat his concern. “There’s so many conspiracy theories,” he said, adding that some people may “never believe” what they read, no matter how thorough the work is. He even compared the potential fallout to one of the most controversial investigations in American history, saying, “I fear the report will be like the Warren Report. Nobody will ever believe it.”
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Another obstacle is the expectation that the files will neatly produce a so-called “Epstein list.” Comer said the reality may not match what the public imagines. “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. The concern is that the public wants definitive answers, while the material investigators have may not support the kind of list people assume exists.
Politico’s Hailey Fuchs wrote that the real pressure may be less about formatting and more about the politics surrounding the release. “But the most significant challenge Comer faces is managing the political fallout for Trump and the GOP writ large,” she wrote. The situation has already created tension inside the party, with some Republicans privately feeling the investigation could blow back on them in unpredictable ways.
Still, a White House insider pushed back on the idea that Trump is unhappy with Comer. “The president likes James Comer a lot. 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,” the source said.
Read More: DOJ to Release Jeffrey Epstein Records This Week After Congressional Pressure
The House vote to release the Epstein files passed earlier this month, and the Senate unanimously approved the bill. Trump is expected to sign it. Even so, some Republicans see the whole thing as more than procedural. A recent report described the vote as a moment when certain GOP members “declared war on the president.”
Representative Don Bacon noted that House Speaker Mike Johnson “tries his best” to keep Republicans unified, but the Epstein vote has exposed fractures. Bacon said the discharge petition pushing the files forward was an act that essentially “declared war on the president.”