House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) has intensified his committee’s investigation into the financial relationships surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, issuing new subpoenas to major banks and requesting documents from officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
On Tuesday, Comer subpoenaed JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, requiring them to hand over records from the years Epstein was a client. The action expands the committee’s broad inquiry into Epstein’s longstanding sex-trafficking operations and the federal government’s handling of related investigations.
In letters to the banks, Comer wrote: “The records sought by this subpoena will assist in the Committee’s oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Requests to U.S. Virgin Islands Officials
Alongside the bank subpoenas, Comer asked U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon Rhea (D.) to deliver documents related to Epstein’s activities in the territory dating back to 1998. Epstein owned two islands there and maintained ties to political figures, including House Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D.).
Banks Previously Settled With Victims
Epstein held accounts with JPMorgan Chase for nearly two decades before the bank severed ties in 2013. He then became a Deutsche Bank client until 2018. Both banks reached large settlements in 2023 with Epstein’s victims after lawsuits alleged the institutions enabled his trafficking network.
JPMorgan’s internal review, known as “Project Jeep,” flagged more than 4,000 suspicious Epstein-related transactions in 2019, ultimately reporting them to federal regulators. Comer previously asked the Treasury Department to provide all suspicious activity reports tied to Epstein and Maxwell, and the committee says Treasury is cooperating.
Wyden Presses Treasury, Criticizes JPMorgan
Senator Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) has spent years tracking Epstein’s finances and has accused the Treasury Department of withholding certain documents. Wyden also contended in October that JPMorgan had not fully cooperated with his inquiry and argued the bank attempted to shift responsibility for its dealings with Epstein onto former executive Jes Staley, a longtime Epstein associate.
Longstanding Scrutiny of Federal Handling
Epstein’s first criminal case dates to 2008, when he became a convicted sex offender under a controversial Florida state plea deal. He avoided federal charges at the time through a non-prosecution agreement. Former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta told the House Oversight Committee that the lack of cooperating victims could have jeopardized a federal prosecution.
After serving his sentence, Epstein moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he continued operating his trafficking network. He was arrested again on federal charges in 2019 and died in a Manhattan jail that August. His death was ruled a suicide.
Congress Pressures Administration to Release Files
Interest in what federal authorities knew about Epstein surged again this week after both the House and Senate passed a bipartisan measure ordering the Trump administration to release the government’s Epstein files. The measure advanced easily after the president signaled to House Republicans that they could support it.
Democrats have repeatedly criticized Trump’s past social relationship with Epstein. Trump has denied wrongdoing and has described the push for the files as a political attack, calling them a Democratic “hoax.”
Committee Releases Thousands of Emails
The Oversight Committee last week released 20,000 additional Epstein-related emails, adding to a growing archive of 65,000 pages of documents from the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate. Some of the newly released emails described Epstein’s contacts with political, business, media, and academic figures.
Ahead of the release, House Democrats publicized three emails they said showed Trump was aware of misconduct. One 2019 email to author Michael Wolff stated that Trump “knew about the girls” and told Ghislaine Maxwell to “stop.” Another email from 2011 claimed Trump “spent hours at my house” with a victim whose name was redacted. That victim was later identified as Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein accuser who had previously said Trump did nothing improper during her interactions with him. Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. Republicans argued that Democrats selectively highlighted the emails for political purposes, pointing to Giuffre’s public statements.
Trump Seeks Probe of Prominent Democrats
As scrutiny widened, Trump directed the Justice Department last week to investigate notable Democrats with ties to Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and billionaire donor Reid Hoffman. Attorney General Pam Bondi asked Manhattan federal prosecutor Jay Clayton to lead the inquiry. Hoffman and a Clinton spokesperson dismissed the move.
Summers appeared frequently in the latest cache of emails, which detailed frequent exchanges with Epstein about personal and political matters. Amid renewed attention, Summers apologized and said he would step back from public roles.
Committee Continues Document Collection
Epstein’s estate has been supplying the Oversight Committee with financial records, including bank account information, as part of the ongoing congressional investigation. With new subpoenas now in place, Comer’s inquiry is poised to examine more deeply how Epstein built and maintained the financial networks that supported his operations for decades.
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