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Without James Comer’s House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the world might never have seen the “birthday book” full of lewd materials or the trove of more than 20,000 documents elucidating the late convicted sex offender’s dealings with global power players — including President Donald Trump.

It would have been a career-defining triumph for any House Oversight Committee chair. But not for Comer, who expressed deep ambivalence about the ongoing probe in a recent interview.

That reflects the complicated and unpredictable fallout from the Epstein saga, which has helped derail the Republican congressional agenda and the opening year of Trump’s second term. It could also have implications for Comer’s own political ambitions — given his own belief that Americans’ minds might well be impervious to his panel’s conclusions.

“I fear the report will be like the Warren Report,” he said. “Nobody will ever believe it.”

Comer’s reference to the 1964 report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by Chief Justice Earl Warren underscores how the Epstein case has enthralled legions of skeptics who say the federal government is intent on protecting powerful men involved in the exploitation of young women and girls.

That’s a shift from where Comer had staked his political brand a year ago, as the top GOP investigator of Joe Biden. But his two-year effort to undermine the sitting president produced uneven results, with his impeachment probe focusing on Biden family business dealings never coming to a vote and his investigation into the former president’s alleged mental decline failing to deliver any bombshells.

So as he eyes a 2027 run for Kentucky governor, with his relationship with Trump likely to be central to his prospects, it’s the Epstein investigation that could determine Comer’s future in politics.

For months, House GOP leadership touted the Oversight probe as proof that Republicans were taking the Epstein case seriously — even as they fought efforts from within their own ranks to advance legislation that would force a complete release of the DOJ investigative files. In a twist last week, Trump gave up fighting the bill’s inevitable passage, signing the measure into law shortly after Congress approved it with just one dissenter.

The administration now has fewer than 30 days to make materials available to the public, with redactions to protect victims’ names and respect ongoing criminal investigations. Comer, meanwhile, must find a way to shepherd his committee’s investigation to some conclusion.

Asked what the logical end point of his probe would be, Comer was not quite sure.

He said he remains hopeful the bank records he has subpoenaed will turn up something notable. The chair recently demanded Epstein-related records from JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank and asked the attorney general for the U.S. Virgin Islands, whose jurisdiction includes the two private islands that Epstein owned, for additional materials.