WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Committee Democrats are calling for an independent special counsel to investigate President Donald Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, renewing a politically charged inquiry as the midterm elections approach. A report released Monday by the committee’s Democratic minority alleges Trump was involved in Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women in the 1990s. It also cites five women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein’s company. Those are allegations, not findings of a court, and Trump has denied wrongdoing connected to Epstein. The report, titled “The Case Against Donald Trump Emerging in the Epstein Files and DOJ’s Desperate Efforts to Cover It Up,” also urges Congress to increase federal support for state and foreign authorities pursuing Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators and to take further steps to uncover the sex-trafficking operation. Committee Democrats cannot appoint a special counsel. Their report says Congress could, however, use legislation to press for additional investigative support and access to records. Democrats have also criticized the Justice Department’s pace and handling of the release of Epstein-related files, which Congress required under a law passed last year. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the committee’s top Democrat, said survivors should be heard and called for an independent investigation of Epstein’s associates and the Justice Department’s handling of the case. He also urged officials to ensure state and foreign prosecutors receive evidence needed for their investigations. White House spokesperson Lauren Bis rejected the report’s premise, saying Trump had been “totally exonerated on anything related to Epstein.” She said the president had released thousands of pages of documents, cooperated with a House Oversight Committee subpoena, signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act and called for investigations into Epstein’s Democratic associates. Trump has said he and Epstein fell out years ago and that he barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. A spokesperson for House Judiciary Republicans did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The report sets out a path for continued congressional scrutiny if Democrats regain control of the House, while leaving the central claims to be tested by investigators and the courts. Any independent special counsel appointment would have to come through the executive branch, not the committee itself.