James Comer Issues House Subpoenas for Epstein Files and Witnesses

August 5, 2025 | Sundance |

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has issued a series of subpoenas for records and testimony from former government officials that pertain to Jeffrey Epstein.

The House Oversight Committee is usually the place where investigations go to die.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: October 9; Former President Bill Clinton: October 14; Former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland: October 2; Former FBI Director James Comey: October 7; Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr: August 18; Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: August 26; Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions: August 28; Former FBI Director Robert Mueller: September 2; Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch: September 9; and Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder: September 30.

WASHINGTON DC – The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday issued subpoenas for Department of Justice records on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, as well as for interviews with a slate of former government officials in connection to the case.

Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) announced that he was summoning nearly a dozen former officials to appear for depositions on the Epstein investigation — a list that includes former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Comer was required to send the subpoenas after a Democratic-led subcommittee vote in July.

The move is the latest in a broader battle over the Epstein files, which took the Trump administration by storm last month as anger boiled over from within MAGA circles about the administration’s handling of the case.

The move is the latest in a broader battle over the Epstein files, which took the Trump administration by storm last month as anger boiled over from within MAGA circles about the administration’s handling of the case.

The committee’s subpoena of Bill Clinton in particular seems more symbolic than substantive.No former president has ever testified to Congress under the compulsion of a subpoena — and lawmakers have tried only twice before: once in 1953, when the House Un-American Activities Committee subpoenaed Harry Truman, and once in 2022, when the Jan. 6 select committee subpoenaed Donald Trump.

Neither president testified in those instances, and the Justice Department has long cited Truman’s example — though not backed by any legal precedent — to suggest that it is improper for Congress to compel even former presidents to testify, given separation of powers concerns.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also met with Epstein co-conspirator and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell last month amid the heightened public pressure.

Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking and other crimes, was moved to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas just days after her meetings with Blanche — a transfer that came as Trump has made clear that a pardon for the convicted sex offender is within his purview.

Suspicious Cat remains, well, increasingly suspicious.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/08/05/james-comer-issues-house-subpoenas-for-epstein-files-and-witnesses/

DC Area Statistics Reflect Federal Govt Downsizing

August 4, 2025 | Sundance |

President Donald Trump is actually doing something almost all presidents have failed to do, reduce the size and scale of the federal government.

The Washington Post is very concernedabout the economic datapoints coming from the DC area. Including: “the Trump administration’s overhaul of the federal workforce, including the elimination of thousands of federal jobs, is being acutely felt in a national capital region.”

WaPo – In May,D.C.’s unemployment rate was 5.9 percent — the highest in more than three years. The number of federal workers turning tounemployment insurance is climbing steadily, with claims rising 64 percentbetween February and June — from 1,064 to 1,747. That surge is starting to show up in the city’s bottom line: In June alone, D.C. paid out more than $2.5 million in federal civilian jobless benefits, a sharp jump from earlier in the spring.

Maryland saw a similar spike, with payments nearly doubling since April. In Virginia’s Fairfax County, unemployment has reached levels not seen since mid-2021.

LAYOFFS– Layoffs tracked through Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices are rapidly climbing. The federal WARN Act requires large employers to give advance notice before mass layoffs, offering an early signal of job market stress.So far this year, the D.C. region has recorded more WARN-notice layoffs than in any yearoutside the pandemic, with nearly 10,000 workers cut as of July — more than the total of the last two years combined. While the data mostly reflects private-sector job losses, it underscores how quickly layoffs are accelerating.

SPENDING– Consumer spending in D.C. is also starting to slip. Washingtonians are cutting back on things like dining out, clothing, and beauty products — and they’re doing so more sharply than people in other big cities. In June, spending at full-service restaurants was down 9 percentcompared with the prior year, a steeper drop than in places like Atlanta, Boston and Miami. The same pattern shows up in categories like apparel and entertainment, pointing to a local slowdown even as spending elsewhere holds steadier.

TAX BASE– The D.C. Office of Revenue Analysis is forecasting a rare population dip in 2027 — a 0.2 percent decline —along with shrinking tax collections. In June, the city revised its tax revenue outlook for 2026 from one of growth to decline. The city expects only modest growth in 2027, with property and business taxes still lagging.

HOUSING– Predictably, with uncertainty looming, the real estate picture is starting to shift. “We still have a shortage, meaning there is more demand for housing than supply,” Lee said. “And with that, the prices go up.”

But inventory is climbing, a sign thatfewer buyers are competing for homes. At the same time, new apartment construction is tapping the brakes — about 8,000 units went up in the first quarter of 2025, well below the usual 12,000 to 16,000 seen in recent quarters. (more)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/08/04/dc-area-statistics-reflect-federal-govt-downsizing/

Seems like a Silent DOGE action is continuing.whenever WAPO get’s concerned, it’s a good signI bet they’ve lost a lot of their leakers, they want to get out of town before they are called to testify.

Jonathan Turley Says, “There’s Still Hope” for Indictments

August 4, 2025 | Sundance | 238 Comments

Speaking soon after Fox News delivered the breaking story of Pam Bondi assigning a prosecutor to start delivering evidence to a grand jury, attorney Jonathan Turley appears with Will Cain to say despite the length of time there is “hope” for criminal accountability. WATCH: https://youtu.be/s_r-XH7fkZ0

These people are 'EXPOSED' on 'Russiagate': Jonathan Turley

Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley analyzes what charges could come out of the Justice Department's grand jury probe into the Russia hoax

5:32

(Turley is usually very, very cautious and non-committal of what charges of what will come, he’s pretty open here.)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/08/04/jonathan-turley-says-theres-still-hope-for-indictments/