House probe finds decades of failures in Epstein case
Federal authorities repeatedly failed to stop Jeffrey Epstein from sexually abusing young women and girls, according to a report released Tuesday by Republicans on the House Oversight Committee that also faulted employees and powerful associates for ignoring warning signs.
The findings followed a 15-month investigation involving 19 transcribed interviews and reviews of financial records, Justice Department documents and files from Epstein's estate. The report recommended further investigations into Epstein's circle and legislation to protect survivors from nondisclosure agreements.
"At nearly every stage, the cases reviewed by the Committee raise troubling questions about how Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who sexually abused and trafficked young women and girls, avoided accountability for so long", the committee's majority wrote. Maxwell, a former socialite, convicted child sex trafficker and close Epstein confidant, was also a focus of the review.
The committee's top Democrat, Robert Garcia, challenged the report, saying it's "based on an incomplete investigation and zero public hearings."
Scrutiny of the 2008 deal
The report focused in part on the handling of Epstein's 2008 case. He pleaded guilty in Florida state court to two prostitution charges, including one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under 18.
The committee described the outcome as a "sweetheart deal" that spared Epstein a broader federal prosecution. Its report said conflicts of interest at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida may have contributed to the decision not to pursue federal charges.
While in state custody, Epstein received extensive work-release privileges for what the committee called a "sham company." The report said he continued abusing women during that period.
Several survivors described abuse "in his South Florida office, his Palm Beach residence, or even, in [Sarah] Kellen's case, over video from the stockade itself."
Employees and powerful associates questioned
Republicans on the committee wrote that Epstein drew vulnerable young women and girls into his orbit with promises of "career opportunities and comfort until the survivors of his crimes became completely dependent and subservient." People around him "seemed to have simply blindly obeyed" as he manipulated them, the committee wrote.
The report described a "willful ignorance" among both Epstein's employees and his influential friends. His longtime lawyer, accountant and personal assistant handled tasks including scheduling daily massages and maintaining his "black book" of names.
The committee also criticized powerful friends "who, in the face of numerous red flags, claimed that they never suspected Epstein was abusing women or committing crimes of any kind."
Among those interviewed were billionaires Leon Black, Bill Gates and Les Wexner, along with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. All said they had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
"Some Epstein associates questioned by the Committee seemingly claimed in their testimonies that a man with connections to global political leaders, major philanthropists, titans of industry, billionaires, Hollywood celebrities, and even a British prince could not be a sex trafficker", the committee wrote. "However, despite the repeated assertions of ignorance to Epstein's crimes, these same associates offered inadequate explanations for their continued close association with Epstein after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor."
Black recently sued Garcia for defamation, alleging that Garcia lied about Black's relationship with Epstein.
Democrats pledge to continue investigation
Garcia said he plans to continue the investigation after Democrats take control of Congress in January.
"We will not allow the President and his allies to dismiss this investigation. We intend to hold real public hearings uplifting survivors and asking tough questions of the powerful men who associated with Epstein, including Donald Trump. Our work is just getting started", Garcia said in a statement to press.
He also criticized the Justice Department's handling of documents and Maxwell's transfer to a minimum-security facility days after an interview with Todd Blanche, who was deputy attorney general at the time.
"The Department of Justice continues to illegally withhold over 2.5 million pages of documents, there's been no investigation of Ghislaine Maxwell's transfer, and Attorney General Todd Blanche has yet to testify about his role in the largest government cover-up of the modern era", Garcia said.
The report's authors urged the Justice Department to pursue new investigations into Epstein's circle. They also recommended that Congress pass legislation to "prevent the weaponization of nondisclosure agreements to silence survivors of sexual abuse."