Epstein's lawyer 'not aware' of any relationship Trump had with late convicted sex offender, Comer says
Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime personal lawyer and co-executive of his estate said he had no knowledge of a relationship the late convicted sex offender had with President Donald Trump, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Thursday.
Darren Indyke made the claim in a closed-door session before the House Oversight Committee. He is the latest Epstein affiliate to testify in the panel’s sprawling probe.
Comer said Democrats immediately pressed Indyke with questions about ties between the president and Epstein.
"Republicans asked very substantive questions that any curious media outlet would ask, that any American who's kept up with this story would ask," Comer told reporters. "Then the Democrats get their hour, and they ask about Donald Trump."
"Mr. Indyke said that he was not aware of any relationship that Mr. Epstein had with Mr. Trump," Comer added.
Comer also said that Indyke told the committee that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s sexual crimes. Indyke has denied any wrongdoing and did not invoke his Fifth Amendment right when questioned by the panel.
"As with all the other witnesses, they all claim they never had any knowledge before it became public that Mr. Epstein was … doing anything inappropriately with young women," the Kentucky Republican said.
After Epstein’s first conviction in 2008, Comer said that Indyke told the committee that Epstein "convinced him he would never do it again and that he had remorse."
"We’re asking all those questions, and like just about every other witness, they either didn't know or couldn't recall," Comer said, referring to individuals in Epstein’s orbit having knowledge of or participating in sex trafficking schemes. "But we'll keep pressing."
BONDI, TOP DOJ OFFICIALS BRIEF CONGRESS ON JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE
Democrats on the oversight panel immediately dismissed the idea that Indyke had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
"I’m very surprised that he did not take the Fifth Amendment," Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., told reporters. " I think it’s very likely he perjured himself over and over again."
"He claimed … that he had no knowledge of any women or girls. And yet that doesn’t account for the fact that numerous women have described how he helped them fix their problems," Min added.
Richard Kahn, the second co-executor of Epstein’s estate, testified to the committee earlier in March. The one-time accountant to Epstein told the panel he was not aware of any transactions between Trump and Epstein.
Former President Bill Clinton also told the committee in February that Trump had never indicated to him that he knew about Epstein’s crimes.
"They have created a narrative, a false narrative, that there’s a cover-up," Comer said of Democrats on the committee. "And they’ve created a false narrative that Donald Trump has some type of liability in this. Both narratives are getting exploded by every witness we bring in."
Trump has repeatedly stated that he cut off ties with Epstein in the early 2000s after the two maintained a relationship for over a decade.