On Thursday, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) announced that she had issued a subpoena to alleged pedophile and human trafficker Jeffery Epstein’s estate. In fiery remarks at a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Blackburn also took Democrats to task for questioning the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.
Blackburn stated on X: “The American people deserve to know the names of every person who participated in Jeffrey Epstein’s human trafficking ring. We need to see his flight logs. I’ve asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to authorize a subpoena to his estate so we can review these documents.”
Flight logs from 1995-2013 were made public during the trial of Epstein’s confidante Ghislaine Maxwell earlier this year. Among those found to be passengers on the so-called Lolita Express were Maxwell, former President Bill Clinton, a pre-presidential Donald Trump, royal family member Prince Andrew, Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey, and supermodel Naomi Campbell.
“Since we’re in the business of issuing subpoenas now, here are a few more I’ve filed,” Blackburn announced. “A subpoena to Jeffrey Epstein’s estate to provide the flight logs for his private plane.”
Ever since the accused pedophile’s death in 2019, there have been questions about just who flew on the Lolita Express in the intervening years.
“Given the numerous allegations of human trafficking and sexual abuse surrounding Mr. Epstein,” the Tennessee senator added, “I think it is very important that we identify everybody that was on that plane, and how many trips they took on that plane, and the destinations to which they arrived.”
Blackburn was also indignant over Democrats’ plan to investigate certain Supreme Court justices and call into question the Court’s legitimacy in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
“I find this whole charade disgusting. Since the Dobbs leak, our Supreme Court justices—in particular, Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett—have been subjected to threats on the lives of themselves and their families. Threats on their lives, Mr. Chairman,” Blackburn told Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin (D-Illinois). “And yet, this is what you and Senator [Sheldon] Whitehouse [D-R.I.] have chosen to focus this Committee’s precious time on? It’s embarrassing. Ultimately, you’re doing this for one reason: you don’t agree with the Court’s recent decisions or its ideological makeup, so you want to do everything you can to delegitimize the Court as an institution.”
She further suggested that the behavior of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the Court’s far-left justices, be looked into as well.
“But since we’re talking about Justices’ conduct, Mr. Chairman, let’s talk about Justice Sotomayor. This summer, we learned that—over the years— Justice Sotomayor’s staff have pressured public institutions where she has spoken to buy her books. Books, by the way, that have earned her nearly $4 million,” Blackburn said. “I haven’t heard you talk about that. Nor have I heard you mention the fact that she refused to recuse herself in two copyright infringement cases concerning her book publisher. You clearly don’t want to talk about that. So that’s why I’ve filed an amendment issuing a subpoena to Justice Sotomayor’s staff who helped sell her books, as well as her book publisher—so that we can fully understand the backstory of her book deals.”
Blackburn also issued subpoenas for documentation on the political donations from Robert Mueller’s staff while he was investigating Donald Trump for allegedly colluding with Russia in the presidential campaign of 2016, and to Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra regarding the “loss” of 85,000 unaccompanied minors under Becerra’s watch.
The senator lamented that “the southern border is wide open, and President Biden has lost track of 85,000 precious children.”
In addition, Blackburn questioned the “weaponization” of the Justice Department during Joe Biden’s presidency.
“And let’s talk about the two tiers of justice we’ve witnessed under President Biden. This administration loves to talk about misinformation, but they clearly have the goal of censoring conservative speech online,” she said.
While the Epstein documents are grabbing the headlines, the senator’s other subpoenas may be as (or more) interesting.
Blackburn concluded: “The world is on fire, but you’ve chosen to launch an assault on the Supreme Court’s legitimacy. If you want to take up our time and go there, Mr. Chairman, we can go there. This is a sad day in the history of this prestigious Committee, but I’m confident that the American people see this sham for what it really is.”
Shortly after her remarks, Durbin adjourned the meeting without calling up any subpoenas.
