Staley signed Epstein trust documents in 2014 and 2015 before declining role
Former JPMorgan Chase executive Jes Staley confirmed in a closed-door interview with the US House oversight committee that he repeatedly shared confidential and market-sensitive bank information with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a transcript released on August 27, 2026.
In the voluntary July 24 interview, Staley acknowledged disclosing to Epstein the bank’s communications with the Federal Reserve during the 2008 financial crisis, a figure of $44bn in private bank inflows over two weeks, and details of pending deals, the transcript shows. Staley also admitted sharing other confidential information about JPMorgan with Epstein.
The disclosures add new detail to congressional scrutiny of Epstein’s ties with political and business elites. The House oversight committee has interviewed figures including Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Goldman Sachs senior counsel Kathy Ruemmler as part of its investigation into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Lawmakers also questioned Staley about communications in which he discussed matters including his compensation, client relationships, and developments related to his eventual move to Barclays, where he served as chief executive from 2015 until his resignation in 2021.
Staley defended the exchanges in his testimony, saying he believed he had the authority to share information when he considered it appropriate. He has maintained that he had a close professional relationship with Epstein but was unaware of his crimes. Staley also testified that he informed Epstein about the bank’s concerns regarding his large cash withdrawals and told him he had been designated a high-risk client.
Separately, Staley confirmed he had been appointed to a role in connection with Epstein’s estate years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. Staley said he signed documents related to the Epstein trust in 2014 and a trust amendment in 2015, but later declined to serve because he did not want to be associated with the estate. He said he did not receive any compensation for the role.
Staley spent more than three decades at JPMorgan, where he ran the private bank and asset-management business for which Epstein was a client, before leaving for Barclays. JPMorgan declined to comment on the transcript. Staley’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.