Barr Deposition Opens House Probe into Epstein Case and Death

Former Attorney General Bill Barr appeared for a closed-door interview with House investigators on Monday, the first deposition in a bipartisan House Oversight Committee inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s case, the government’s handling of his prosecution, and his death in federal custody. Barr arrived one hour early, answered no questions on the hallway, and offered brief remarks through committee leaders, who described the session as the opening salvo in a broader push to understand what unfolded in a case that has long invited suspicion.

The interview is part of a wider effort by the committee to examine a sequence of events surrounding Epstein, a financier with deep ties to powerful figures, who was found dead in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Barr’s participation was framed by committee leaders as a test of how thoroughly the prior administration investigated the circumstances of Epstein’s death and whether any information existed that could implicate others or reveal missteps by federal agencies. In addition to Barr, the panel has subpoenaed a slate of former officials, including former presidents, attorneys general, and FBI...