House Judiciary Committee Democrats have some pointed questions about how Donald Trump’s Justice Department handled the Jeffrey Epstein case. Days before the midterm elections, they released a 53-page report alleging that the department has withheld evidence about Trump’s ties to Epstein and called for an independent special counsel to investigate.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee’s ranking Democrat, accused the department, now led by Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, of having “deliberately withheld evidence.” According to Common Dreams, the report describes an alleged attempt to cover up Trump’s connections to Epstein as “desperate.” Lawmakers had previously released a 50-page report on Epstein and allegations involving Trump.
The latest findings detail accounts from 11 women who linked Trump to Epstein and his sex-trafficking operation. Five, according to the report, “directly accused Trump of raping or sexually assaulting them in Epstein’s company or direct physical presence.” Raskin said other women indicated that Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell attempted to traffic them to Trump. Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, was convicted of sex trafficking.
The report details allegations from 11 women
Beatrice Keul alleges Trump raped her in a Plaza Hotel suite in 1993, when she was 24. She told committee staff that Trump had promised to arrange a visa for her. Another account involves Katie Johnson, a pseudonym for a woman who alleged that Trump and Epstein repeatedly raped her when she was 13.
Whistleblower information obtained by the committee also suggests that documents linked to a case number associated with Johnson were withheld from Congress and the public. The claims about withheld records follow earlier scrutiny of whether the Justice Department withheld parts of the Epstein files.
The report accuses Blanche and former Attorney General Pam Bondi of running the Justice Department “like a private legal defense firm” for Trump. Bondi oversaw the release of some Epstein files under a law requiring the department to make records public. It also raises concerns about Blanche’s 2025 conversation with Maxwell, suggesting it may have involved “witness tampering and obstruction of an official proceeding.” According to the report, the interview was intended to “create a conspiracy of silence.”
Trump has described his relationship with Epstein by saying he knew him “just like everybody in Palm Beach knew him.” Raskin challenged that account, responding, “Not exactly.” A White House spokesperson told MS NOW that “none of these allegations are true.” Trump has also dismissed the controversy over the files as a “hoax.”
The report doubts that the administration will take even the “minimal step” of appointing an independent special counsel. Raskin called on Congress to obtain the “complete files required by law” and urged an independent special counsel to investigate Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators and the department’s handling of the case.
Published: Oct 28, 2026 07:30 am