Democrat support for jailing Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro could blow back on Clintons



House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued deposition subpoenas in August to failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton requiring their testimony "related to horrific crimes perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein."

Comer made clear on Tuesday that the Clintons risk criminal exposure should they continue not to comply with the subpoenas — and that he is willing to make use of the precedent set in recent years by Democrats.

'They're the one group in this investigation that's never had to answer questions ... from attorneys or members of Congress.'

The chairman noted in his Aug. 5 letter to Bill Clinton that owing to the former president's past relationships with Epstein and child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, the committee believed him to have information regarding their activities relevant to the investigation.

"By your own admission, you flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private plane four separate times in 2002 and 2003. During one of these trips, you were even pictured receiving a 'massage' from one of Mr. Epstein's victims," wrote Comer.

"It has also been claimed that you pressured Vanity Fair not to publish sex-trafficking allegations against your 'good friend' Mr. Epstein, and there are conflicting reports about whether you ever visited Mr. Epstein's island," continued the chairman. "You were also allegedly close to Ms. Ghislane Maxwell, an Epstein co-conspirator, and attended an intimate dinner with her in 2014, three years after public reports about her involvement in Mr. Epstein’s abuse of minors."

RELATED: Epstein emails SHAME Obama/Clinton ally: Larry Summers quits public life amid calls for Harvard to cut ties

Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Comer noted in his letter to Hillary Clinton that her testimony was of interest to the panel not only because of her husband's relationship with the dead sex offender but because of her links to Maxwell, whose nephew worked for Hillary Clinton's first failed presidential campaign, then later for the State Department while Clinton was secretary of state.

The Oversight Committee compelled Hillary Clinton to testify on Oct. 9, but she didn't show up.

When Bill Clinton's Oct. 14 deposition date came around, a committee spokesperson announced that it would be delayed as the panel was "having conversations with the Clintons' attorney to accommodate their schedules."

Republicans on the committee are apparently still trying to settle on a date with the Clintons' attorneys, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.

"We expect to hear from Bill and Hillary Clinton," Comer told "Just the News, No Noise" on Tuesday. "Donald Trump answered questions for years about Jeffrey Epstein. Every day he gets asked questions about Epstein, and he answers them in front of the American people. We've subpoenaed Republicans and Democrats."

"Other Democrats have sent letters saying they knew nothing about Epstein, which would hold in court if something ever comes out that they did know something, then they've committed perjury there," continued the chairman.

"But the Clintons have never responded. They're the one group in this investigation that's never had to answer questions in front of a credible reporter, and they've never certainly answered questions from attorneys or members of Congress," added Comer.

Comer, evidently tired of the Clintons' avoidance, added, "So we expect the Clintons to come in, or I expect the Clintons to be met with the same fate that Bannon and [Peter] Navarro were met with when the Democrats were in control."

Democrats would likely condemn the Clintons' visitation by legal consequence over their refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas — but such criticism would amount to rocks thrown from a glass house.

Eric Holder, Obama's attorney general, was held in contempt of Congress in a decisive 255-67 vote in 2012 for refusing to turn over documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal.

The Obama Justice Department rewarded Holder for keeping the Democratic president's documents from the American people's elected representatives by refusing to prosecute.

House Republicans voted last year to hold former Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas for audio recordings of former President Joe Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

The Biden Department of Justice revealed on June 14, 2024, that it would not bother prosecuting Garland.

Although keen to shield their own from consequence, Democrats held Republicans to a different standard.

The Democrat-controlled House voted 229-202 in 2021 to hold former Trump adviser and "War Room" host Stephen Bannon in contempt for defying a subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 committee.

Whereas the Biden DOJ would later let Garland off the hook for the same charge, the same outfit energetically prosecuted Bannon, securing a conviction and recommending that he serve at least six months in prison and pay a $200,000 fine. Bannon ended up languishing in prison for four months.

The president's trade adviser, Peter Navarro, received similar treatment for not complying with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee. Navarro, who figured he was bound by executive privilege when he defied the subpoena, served a four-month prison sentence.

Navarro noted in a speech last year at the Republican National Convention, "I got a very simple message for you: If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful. They will come for you."

Comer's apparent threat came a week after President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department and the FBI on Friday to "investigate Jeffrey Epstein's involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton" and others, and "determine what was going on with them, and him."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

New York nonprofit that serves victims of sexual assault and domestic violence apologizes because child sex offender employee may have interacted with minors while on the job



A nonprofit dedicated to serving victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in the Syracuse, New York, area is facing severe public criticism after it knowingly hired a convicted sex offender, who may then have interacted with minors.

Vera House, a nonprofit organization that works "to end domestic and sexual violence and other forms of abuse" and has served the Syracuse area for 40 years, has recently admitted that it knowingly hired Marcus Jackson, who in 2000 was convicted of having a sexual relationship with two teen boys in Florida.

Jackson worked at Vera House as a victim advocate from October 2020 until August 1, when Jackson and Vera House agreed to part ways after more information regarding his past became publicly known. Not only was Jackson convicted in 2000, but he was also convicted again in 2016 for failing to register as a sex offender. Syracuse.com also reports that Johnson served time in a New York state prison for perjury, though when he committed the offense and when he served time are both unknown.

Jackson was also arrested on July 31 of this year for allegedly stealing copper wire and scrap metal from a business. He was scheduled to appear in court on August 25, but it is unclear whether he made the scheduled appearance.

Vera House did not require Jackson to disclose any of his criminal convictions to clients.

According to a statement from Vera House, executive director Randi Bregman "was aware of Jackson’s 2000 conviction in Florida and issues relating to his failing to update his address with the Sex Offender Registry," but was not aware of "of Jackson’s other convictions," which likely would have dissuaded her from hiring him.

The statement likewise says that Vera House implemented "safeguards" to protect clients and prevent Jackson from interacting with minors, as required by state and federal law, but that at some point during his employment, those safeguards may have been breached.

The statement says that "Mr. Jackson may have broken the terms of his employment and had in-person contact at a local hospital with a 17-year-old, their mother, and nurse in December of 2021."

However, the state of New York alleges that Jackson twice had contact with minors during his employment, and a tip from a whistleblower indicates that Jackson may have routinely been in contact with minors as part of his employment.

A letter from the whistleblower, who was supposedly once a resident supervisor for Vera House, states that Jackson "picked up shifts" at the Vera House shelter on multiple occasions, "especially during Covid," which, if true, would almost assuredly place Jackson in contact with minors. The shelter provides temporary housing for both "individuals and families in crisis" for up to three months, according to the organization website. The website also discusses groups and activities at the shelter designed especially for children.

The whistleblower likewise states that Jackson was listed among those "on the call-out schedule" for area hospitals treating victims of sexual assault. According to the whistleblower's letter, those "on the call-out schedule" are often placed "in the room with victims receiving a forensic rape exams (sic)."

After Jackson left Vera House at the beginning of the month, the organization vowed never to hire another sex offender again. However, after consulting with experts, organization leaders determined that that policy wasn't legal and instead promised "that individuals with sex offenses will not work in positions that have direct contact with the people we serve."

Syracuse.com reports that because Jackson was allegedly in contact with minors while discharging his duties, Vera House must repay the state of New York for the cost of his employment, $64,537, including salary and benefits. There is also a possibility that Vera House will have to return a portion of the $1.14 million it received in federal funding because of Jackson.

Border Patrol arrests illegal immigrant who raped a child under 4



Border Patrol agents have apprehended several serious child sex offenders attempting to illegally enter the United States in recent months, including an illegal immigrant who was previously convicted of raping a child under the age of four.

Miguel Vargas Mendoza, 33, was arrested by agents in Yuma, Arizona, on Tuesday after attempting to cross the border illegally. Fox News reports that Mendoza, a Mexican national, had prior convictions for drug possession and having sex with a child three years or younger, as well as willful cruelty to a child.

Fox reported that he is one of several child sex offenders who have been apprehended by Border Patrol as record levels of illegal immigration continue unabated under President Joe Biden's policies.

In the current fiscal year, Border Patrol agents have encountered 9,381 noncitizens with criminal convictions among a record 1.82 million arrests made, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In July, there were a record 199,976 encounters, with 166,792 unique encounters. Two-thirds of those encountered were single adults, and while the numbers dipped slightly compared to June, CBP is still on track to make a record 2 million arrests by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Those numbers do not account for the more than 500,000 migrants who have evaded agents this fiscal year, according to Fox News.

Among illegal immigrants with criminal convictions who were apprehended, 238 held convictions for sex offense in FY 2022, compared to 488 in FY 2021 and 156 in FY 2020.

Border Patrol agents arrested four convicted sex offenders in Texas earlier this month as they tried to cross the border illegally. Among them was a Salvadoran national who had been convicted for indecent exposure with a child in Houston in 2016, for which he was sentenced to 10 years probation.

Agents in Brownsville, Texas, arrested a 32-year-old Mexican national who had prior convictions for cruelty towards a child and transmission of child pornography in Florida.

A Guatemalan national, who had previously been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious acts by force with a child under 14 and was sentenced to 22 years in prison, was also apprehended trying to cross the border on Aug. 5.

And last week, agents arrested a Mexican illegal immigrant with a prior arrest for sexual assault of a child under 11 in South Carolina. Fox reported he had been found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

California Legislature Passes Bill Reducing Penalties for Oral, Anal Sex with Willing Children

California lawmakers passed a bill Monday that would reduce penalties for adults who have oral or anal sex with a willing minor child if the sex offender is within ten years of the age of the victim.