House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) announced Wednesday his intention to call Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and high-profile attorney Alan Dershowitz for interviews as part of the panel’s ongoing investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The move marks a significant escalation in the committee’s efforts to scrutinize the handling of the Epstein case.
Comer’s interest in Blanche follows a transcribed interview last month with former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who repeatedly pointed to Blanche as the official managing many of the decisions related to the release of Epstein-related files. Bondi, during her four-hour session with the committee, declined to answer questions about her conversations with the White House, instead deferring to Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel. Democrats noted that Bondi invoked Blanche nearly 30 times during the discussion.
“You’d have to ask Deputy Attorney General, now-Acting Attorney General Blanche and Director Patel,” Bondi said at one point. At another, she stated, “AG Blanche was managing the entire investigation.”
Comer told reporters he is in communication with the Department of Justice and hopes to schedule Blanche’s appearance in July, contingent on Blanche’s confirmation hearing timeline to become permanent attorney general. The chairman also noted that Blanche and Bondi had previously spoken with Republicans on the panel informally.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the Oversight panel, expressed approval that Comer “finally agreed to bring in Todd Blanche,” but insisted that the interview should be a deposition under oath, videotaped, and released to the public. “It’s not enough to just get Blanche in. We have to have Blanche under oath,” Garcia said.
Comer’s plan to interview Dershowitz follows testimony from former Epstein assistant Lesley Groff, as well as meetings with Epstein survivors. “Based on the testimony from Ms. Groff, as well as a meeting that I had afterwards with several of the Epstein survivors, I am going to ask Alan Dershowitz to come in,” Comer told reporters. “We will have questions for him.”
Dershowitz, who represented Epstein and helped secure a controversial 2008 plea deal, has faced accusations from Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who claimed Epstein trafficked her to Dershowitz—an allegation he denied and she later recanted as part of a settlement. In response to Comer’s announcement, Dershowitz told NewsNation he wants the interview to be “videotaped, under oath and open to the public. I want complete transparency.” He added, “I’m very proud of my role in representing Epstein. I’m prepared to testify about everything.”
The committee’s investigation has included a series of interviews with government officials and Epstein associates. On Wednesday, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates appeared for a voluntary interview, offering prepared remarks that painted Epstein as an unreliable and vindictive figure. Gates stated, “I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct. I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone.”
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the potential interview with Blanche. The probe continues as the panel seeks to unravel the full scope of Epstein’s network and the government’s response to his crimes.
