House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) criticized Senate Democrats on Wednesday, accusing them of focusing on former President Donald Trump and the Jeffrey Epstein case to distract from the ongoing government shutdown. Comer spoke alongside Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.).Comer said the government has been shut down for 21 days, referring to it as the “Schumer Shutdown.” He stated, “Democrats’ political games are hurting hardworking Americans. This week, essential federal workers won’t receive their paychecks because Democrats voted against paying them. That includes Border Patrol and CBP agents, TSA and FAA staff, DOD civilians, FEMA responders, and Capitol Police officers.”He claimed that most Americans oppose the shutdown and accused Democrats of trying to shift attention by connecting Trump to Epstein. “Democrats know it, so they’re trying to distract from the fact that they shut down the government by pushing a false narrative about President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein,” Comer said.Comer addressed ongoing investigations into how federal authorities handled the Epstein case. “Let me be clear: No one is protecting Epstein or his associates. The House Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough review of the federal government’s handling of the Epstein investigation—one that goes far beyond the discharge petition the Legacy Media is obsessed with.”He outlined actions taken by his committee: “To date, the Oversight Committee has released roughly 43,000 pages of documents and issued 13 subpoenas. We’ve conducted a deposition with former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and a transcribed interview with former U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta.”According to Comer, these interviews do not support claims linking Trump to Epstein’s criminal activity. “And guess what? Those interviews completely debunk the Democrats’ smear against President Trump,” he said. “Barr stated there was no evidence that President Trump was involved in Epstein’s criminal activity. Acosta confirmed there was no contact with President Trump during the Florida case—no link, no conversations, nothing.”Comer also criticized Democratic members of his committee for focusing more on social media posts about Epstein than on issues related to unpaid federal workers during the shutdown.”Despite these facts, Democrats, especially Ranking Member Garcia, continue to spread lies about President Trump. They’re infected with an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Comer stated.”Oversight Committee Democrats post daily about Epstein. In fact, they’ve posted or reposted about Epstein nearly 60 times on X since the shutdown began,” he continued. “Do you know how many times they’ve posted about essential federal workers not receiving paychecks because they voted against funding the government? Once.””Let’s be clear: Democrats don’t care about transparency or accountability in this matter. The evidence we’ve gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way,” Comer added.He noted that public reporting indicates former President Bill Clinton had closer ties to Epstein than Trump did: “Public reporting, survivor testimony, and official documents show that Bill Clinton had far closer ties to Epstein and Maxwell.””We’re working to bring Bill Clinton in for a deposition, but Democrats aren’t helping to get him here,” he said.”Why is that? That’s a question every reporter should be asking Ranking Member Garcia and every Democrat on the committee,” Comer suggested.”The Oversight Committee remains committed to accountability and transparency for the American people and for Epstein’s victims,” he said.”Our investigation hasn’t stopped during the shutdown. In fact, we released more documents just this past Friday,” Comer concluded before calling on Democrats to end what he described as political gamesmanship: “Democrats need to stop playing games and vote to reopen the government.”James Comer currently represents Kentucky’s 1st district in Congress after replacing Ed Whitfield in 2016; prior to this role he served in Kentucky’s state legislature from 2001 through 2012.
James Comer has served in the U.S. Congress, representing Kentucky`s 1st District, since 2016.
He was born in Carthage, Tennessee in 1972 and lives in Tompkinsville.
James Comer, 50, was born in Carthage, Tennessee in 1972.
He graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Comer graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1993 with a BS.
