House Democrats Demand Special Counsel to Probe Trump–Epstein Ties

House Democrats Demand Special Counsel to Probe Trump–Epstein Ties

A 53-page report lands eight days before the midterms

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee released a 53-page staff report on Monday, October 26, calling on the Justice Department to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate alleged criminal ties between President Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Led by ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the report describes Trump as an "active participant" in Epstein's sexual abuse of young women in the mid-to-late 1990s and accuses the department of covering up evidence to protect the president.

Eleven women's accounts anchor the allegations

The report says 11 women link Trump to Epstein's crimes: five directly accuse Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein's company or presence, while three others describe encounters in which Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell appeared to offer women to Trump or signaled he was "in" on the abuse. Democrats say the findings draw on committee staff interviews, survivor accounts, FBI records, and documents disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The allegations against Trump have not been proven in court, and Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing connected to Epstein.

Democrats accuse Justice Department of a cover-up

The report's second target is Attorney General Todd Blanche's Justice Department, which it says "deliberately withheld evidence" and now "leads the cover-up" of Epstein's trafficking operation. Raskin said the survivors deserve to be heard, Congress must receive the complete files required by law, and an independent special counsel must investigate Epstein's co-conspirators and the department's obstruction while making evidence available to state and foreign prosecutors. The report also flags Blanche's handling of Maxwell-related matters as potential witness tampering and obstruction.

White House dismisses the report as fiction

White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said "none of these allegations" are true, calling the report "nothing more than a desperate attempt by crazed Democrats to distract Americans from the surging Republican momentum driven by President Trump's historic achievements." She said Trump kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club "because he was a creep" and has been "fully exonerated of anything related to Epstein."

Why now, and what a special counsel could do

The demand comes eight days before the midterm elections, and Democrats concede the current administration is unlikely to act — the report says there is "little reason" to believe it will take even this minimal step. Congress cannot appoint a special counsel itself; the call is directed at the Justice Department under its conflict-of-interest regulations. Democrats say a House majority would instead press ahead with hearings, subpoenas, and legislation backing state and international investigations. Rep. Robert Garcia of California has said the Epstein inquiry would be a top priority if Democrats retake the House.

Accountability beyond one man

The report urges criminal investigation of all of Epstein's co-conspirators, not only Trump. So far Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence, is the only person convicted of sex trafficking of minors in connection with the case. Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges involving minors, in a death ruled a suicide.