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First on Fox: The House Oversight Committee released about 120 pages of transcript Tuesday involving testimony from former Attorney General Bill Barr, which seems to affirm Republicans’ claims that former Department of Justice (DOJ) officials were unaware of any criminal relationship between the presidents. Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.
Although the committee claimed last month that all transcripts did not specify Trump’s wrongdoing, it was the top Democrat on the committee.
The House Oversight Committee has been investigating the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case, and in the process has summoned multiple people and entities.
Among them is Barr, who told investigators that he had two conversations with Trump about Epstein—who was unable to arrange for him after a once-convicted sex offender committed suicide.
House moves to expose Epstein’s archives, authorizes overseeing investigations
Former Attorney General Bill Barr testified before the House Bercight Commits, where he discussed Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein and was released Tuesday. (Getty Image)
Barr also denied that Trump expressed any opinion on the Justice Department’s Epstein investigation, nor gave instructions or state preferences for his actions, according to a transcript of Fox News’ numbers.
During a series of questions from D-Texas, led by Jasmine Crockett, Barr said he never recalled telling Trump that his name appeared in documents related to Epstein.
“I’d love to know, in the conversation you do think back to the president, do you think back to the fact that he once told him that he was basically in the Epstein archive, first place?” Crockett asked, according to the transcript.
Barr replied, “Well, I’m not sure what the “Epstein Archive” means. But, I didn’t – I didn’t talk to him. I think at some point, I think his commute time on an Epstein plane was public, or was flying between Miami, Miami, New York or New York or New York or New York and New York City or something like that, I can’t remember.
House Oversight Committee releases thousands of Epstein documents
Crockett then asked, “You don’t know directly about any young women or women who claim they met with the president through Epstein, right?”
The transcript said: “No one has ever told me there is evidence to support this statement.”
Barr then told investigators that he believed that any evidence of guilt about Trump would leak if it existed, and that he believed that the same was true for former President Bill Clinton, who, like Trump, had once been friendly with Epstein.
“I think if there is any feeling of covering up on either side of the government. I think it’s going to go out. I mean [the Southern District of New York] “It’s also New York-New York–it’s known to be home to many, many investigations leaks,” Barr said.
A housing supervision attorney asked: “So, in your experience, you have no doubt that if the SDNY prosecutor saw evidence of the crime, they would follow this evidence, if it leads to an indictment, they would be prosecuted, and if it leads to a belief, they would follow the facts they lead.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif). (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Barr said he would look forward to such a move even for the high-profile people.
“I think, you know, you know, they will do the same thing too For ClintonI believe it. ” he said.
“I think- you know, remember, this thing continues under the leadership of the president. [Joe] Biden’s administration, they’re looking for what they bring to President Trump, and that’s it — if there’s evidence, it’s the fruit of low-key. I just didn’t – I was never told the evidence, I doubted. ”
However, the former Trump administration official also admitted: “I don’t think SDNY may have told me that you know how deep their investigations into specific individuals are. It won’t surprise me.”
“For the same reason, I feel like my opinion of that office and the people involved is that if they have evidence to prove the crime, they will do that.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif) on the House Oversight Committee.
“[T]oClearly, yesterday, during the committee’s statements, Attorney General Barr was unable to clear President Trump’s wrongdoing. President [James Comer, R-Ky.,] “All unedited transcripts of his interviews with the public should be published,” Garcia wrote in an August statement.
But the transcript seems to indicate that At least remember BarrTrump has not been associated with Epstein in any way of criminal responsibility.
Barr said in two conversations with Trump about Epstein: “One is when I heard of suicide. I called him and said, ‘You better do this, I told him the effect, I told him about this, I told him about this, and I told him we will investigate it very vigorously. I can’t be sure the second time happened to him around him, whether it was happening in his temporary situation, or in his temporary situation, it was during his period of creation, or in his process.
The transcript also shows that Barr reportedly defended the current Attorney General Pam Bondi, informing Trump that his name appeared in Epstein’s archives as a standard procedure in recent months.
“I think usually this is what the Attorney General would do, and that’s if what happened like this would bring a attention to the president, which is the document that releases its name, that would be a lot – you know a lot – there would be a lot of speculation about it.”
“It’s totally normal to tell the CEO that his name is about to be released. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that.”
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Barr didn’t remember many details of the entire investigation, but he did admit that the federal investigation was flawed. More specifically, he described a period when authorities were unable to position Ghislaine Maxwell as “embarrassing.”
Despite the Justice Department’s announcement that the case ended earlier this year, Barr dismissed any conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.
“Absolutely.” He replied when asked if he still believed Epstein committed suicide.
