Jeffrey Epstein (left) and Donald Trump pose together at their Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, in a 1997 photo.
Davidoff Studio Photos | Archive Photos | Getty Images
Congressman Robert Garcia said Tuesday that the Justice Department “appears to have unlawfully withheld FBI interviews” with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender who accused President Donald Trump of “heinous crimes.”
Garcia’s statement came after reports that an FBI interview with the accuser was not available in the Justice Department’s database of millions of files related to Epstein, which was made public after Congress passed a federal law requiring disclosure.
“In recent weeks, Oversight Democrats has been investigating the FBI’s response to allegations made by a survivor of sexual assault of a minor against President Donald Trump in 2019,” Garcia, D-Calif., said in a statement.
“Yesterday, I reviewed the unredacted evidence record at the Department of Justice. Oversight Democrats can confirm that the Justice Department appears to have illegally withheld an FBI interview with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes,” said Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
“The Watch Democrats will launch a parallel investigation into this.”
Garcia also said that because of the prior subpoenas issued by the Oversight Committee and the Epstein File Transparency Act, “these records must be immediately shared with Congress and the American people.”
“Concealing direct evidence of potential violence by the President of the United States is the most serious crime imaginable in this White House cover-up,” he said.
CNBC has reached out to the Justice Department and the White House for comment on Garcia’s statement.
Trump is a former friend of Epstein. The two had a falling out in the early 2000s.
The president has never been criminally charged in connection with the accusations by Epstein’s survivors.
President Trump said last week that the Epstein files had “absolutely exonerated” him of the charges.
President Trump’s comments came after a reporter asked him about former British prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest by British police on suspicion of misconduct in office.
The arrest is believed to be related to an investigation into whether Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of Charles III, shared confidential trade reports with Mr Epstein.
President Trump said of the arrest: “He’s been completely exonerated, so in a sense he’s an expert. That’s very gratifying. I can actually talk about this very well.”
“I think it’s unfortunate. I haven’t done anything,” the president said.
