Report says federal government mishandled Epstein probes and failed survivors
The facts revealed by a House Oversight Committee investigation into Jeffrey Epstein do not suggest President Donald Trump was implicated in any of Epstein’s crimes, the Republican-controlled committee said in a report released Tuesday. The report also accused Democrats of launching an “unfounded witch hunt” by attempting to insinuate that Trump was involved in Epstein’s crimes.
Trump has long maintained that he had a falling out with Epstein before Epstein was indicted for soliciting prostitution in 2006. In February, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told NPR in a statement that “just as President Trump has said, he’s been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein.”
On financial activity, the report concluded that some financial institutions failed to act on indicators of human trafficking and immigration fraud, enabling Epstein’s activities. It recommended that the Treasury Department and its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network review whether financial institutions are meeting their reporting responsibilities. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The committee’s report concluded that the federal government mishandled criminal investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and failed survivors. “Epstein operated with impunity, shielded and enabled by powerful connections and a justice system that repeatedly failed his victims,” committee Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, said. The inquiry included interviews with 19 people over 15 months, among them former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Many interviews were conducted behind closed doors, with transcripts released days later. Appearing in the Department of Justice’s Epstein files or before the committee is not necessarily an indication of criminal wrongdoing.
The report concluded that, if not for the “failures” of federal prosecutors in South Florida and Washington, Epstein’s crimes after 2005 could have been prevented. Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and later died in prison, with authorities determining that his death was a suicide. His 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14 had long been criticized as a “sweetheart deal.” He served 13 months in Palm Beach County Jail with a 12-hour work release during the day and was required to register as a sex offender. The report also said Epstein’s “pervasive influence and far-reaching connections” shielded him from further investigation.
After Gates appeared before the committee in June, Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee, called Epstein a “friend collector.” “He just liked to have people around him that were a big deal,” Burchett said.
The committee’s recommendations give the Justice Department further investigative work. The report says the agency needs to interview or re-interview witnesses and investigate crimes committed by Epstein’s associates. Maxwell is the only associate of Epstein to have been charged with a crime and sentenced to prison.
In June, the committee interviewed Sarah Kellen, a longtime Epstein assistant who says she is also a survivor of his abuse. According to the committee’s report, Kellen revealed the names of two men in her transcribed testimony that the committee sent to the Justice Department for further investigation, and the Justice Department has not announced investigations into the men.
The report also said the Justice Department under Trump did not adequately communicate about the release of the Epstein files or protect survivors’ personal information. The release followed passage of the Epstein Transparency Act in 2025 and the release of millions of pages of documents. Large portions were redacted, but the identities of many survivors were exposed.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Justice Department said Attorney General Todd Blanche has repeatedly said, “the Epstein case is not closed and there is no statute of limitations on human trafficking.” “With all due respect, the Chairman’s recommendations have already been addressed,” the department said of Comer. “The Department will continue following all additional investigative leads in matters relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Any victims with evidence and information are encouraged to reach out to the FBI.”
Democrats will take control of the House in January, and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., is expected to lead the committee. In a statement Tuesday, Garcia called the report “partisan.” “Oversight Republicans have released a report based on an incomplete investigation and zero public hearings on Jeffrey Epstein,” Garcia said. “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 has said Democrats will continue the investigation with hearings open to the public, and other Democrats as well as some Republicans have pressed to hold Epstein associates accountable. Separately, the House of Representatives held billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress in September after he defied two congressional subpoenas. Black paid Epstein millions between 2013 and 2017, said the money was for tax and estate planning services, and later sued the committee and Comer to invalidate the subpoenas before suing Garcia for defamation.