House oversight committee prepares for slew of interviews for Epstein investigation
The article centers government proceedings and official statements, presenting the House oversight investigation as methodical fact-gathering with straightforward language and minimal editorializing. However, framing choices subtly favor establishment narratives: the article emphasizes Gates' apologetic stance and includes his defensive claim about 'seeing nothing illicit,' while describing Trump's 'MAGA base' backlash as 'mounting' without elaboration, implying skepticism of non-establishment perspectives on the suicide conclusion.
Primary voices: elected official, state or recognized government, corporate or institutional spokesperson, media outlet
- This article does not address why certain documents are being withheld by the DOJ or details of the congressionally-mandated release law.
- This article does not examine the substance of specific allegations or findings from the ten completed interviews.
- This article does not contextualize the nature or scope of Gates' involvement with Epstein beyond his apology.
Framing may shift as interviews conclude and substantive findings emerge, particularly if evidence contradicts current official positions on suicide or 'client lists.'
Government-sourcedEstablishment framingNeutral language
The committee will conduct seven interviews over the next few months as part of its Epstein inquiry. Democrats have been aiming to hold Bondi in contempt of Congress after she failed to comply with the committee’s subpoena earlier this year.
The first of the seven will take place on May 18 with Tova Noel, one of the Metropolitan Correctional Center prison guards on duty when Epstein died in 2019. Bondi is set to testify on May 29, Epstein’s executive assistant Lesley Groff on June 9, and Gates on June 10. Epstein’s client Leon Gates will testify on June 26 and former Obama White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler on July 15.
Bondi faced scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of releasing the Epstein files in a timely manner before she was fired last month.
While Gates has maintained his claim that he “saw nothing illicit” when it came to his relationship with Epstein, the tech mogul apologized to his staff earlier this year for his close ties with the sex offender.
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein and bring Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the convicted sex offender,” the former Microsoft chief said during a town hall with staff at the Gates Foundation. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”
The transcribed interviews come as the oversight panel has been conducting an extensive investigation into Epstein’s crimes and as the Justice Department has released millions of documents. The committee has already conducted ten interviews, including with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, former Attorney General Bill Barr, Epstein’s former associate and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and billionaire Les Wexner.
As part of the investigation, the committee has released multiple batches of documents related to the files, many of which were obtained from the committee’s subpoena to Epstein’s estate. While the DOJ has released a slew of files, some have been pushed back, saying the department has not complied with a law passed by Congress last year requiring the release of all documents pertaining to Epstein.
The investigation began last year following the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s release of a two-page memo stating there is no evidence Epstein blackmailed people or kept a “client list,” reiterating he died by suicide, a conclusion that has resulted in mounting backlash from President Donald Trump’s MAGA base.
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