'You are hiding!' James Comer ripped to his face for blocking Mar-a-Lago massage records
House Oversight Committee Chair faced accusations that he was "hiding" Mar-a-Lago massage records for President Donald Trump after he shut down an attempt to subpoena them during a hearing on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who has been described as the president's' former best friend.
During a Wednesday hearing, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) argued that "wealth and power cannot shield people from accountability from this committee."
"It is the victims of these horrific crimes who deserve protection, not Jeffrey Epstein, and the people associated with him," he observed. "Committee Republicans have failed to conduct a serious investigation. For instance, they refused to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt for failure to release 99% of the Epstein files on a bipartisan law that we all passed on the House floor."
"We all know that President Trump has a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," he continued. "His administration continues to obstruct the release of the Epstein files for this reason. We've seen photos of them together. Even Elon Musk posted that Trump is in the Epstein files."
Frost noted that Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida was cited in the Epstein case files.
"From reporting, we know that Epstein was deeply involved with Mar-a-Lago," he pointed out. "He was a frequent visitor to the club for years. The club sent employees, usually young women, to Epstein's mansion for massages, manicures, and other spa services. Staff members from the club made frequent calls to Epstein's home in Palm Beach. And on these calls, Epstein engaged in sexually suggestive behavior, such as exposing himself."
"Getting documents from Mar-a-Lago is about uncovering evidence, holding these people accountable, and doing right by the victims of these horrific crimes," he added. "So here's the opportunity to show it's not a politically motivated thing. Let's also make sure that we get these documents from Mar-a-Lago... I move that the House shall subpoena the Mar-a-Lago Club and all entities under common ownership."
Frost said the records should include information about massages and billing statements. He also wanted to see a list of spa employees and their managers.
"A motion was made by Mr. Frost," Comer stated. "The motion is improper as the item is not on the agenda."
"So, Mr. Chair, you want to use procedure to push back accountability?" Frost gasped. "You're saying it's because it's not on the agenda that we can't move forward with this."
"You have full discretion of this committee to say, you know what, let's have a vote in a bipartisan way to say we want the documents from Mar-a-Lago," the Democrat remarked. "You're able to say right now that we can vote on this."
"You are hiding behind the process to protect these Mar-a-Lago documents, and I think it's a disgrace."