James Lynch writes for National Review Online about the expansion of a congressional probe into Jeffrey Epstein.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) is stepping up his scrutiny of deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s financial entanglements.
Comer subpoenaed banks JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank on Tuesday, compelling them to turn over Epstein’s financial records from when he was a client of each of those financial institutions. The subpoenas are the latest step in the House Oversight Committee’s wide-ranging investigation of the sexual abuse perpetrated by Epstein and his partner, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
“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,” Comer wrote to the banks in separate subpoena letters.
Moreover, Comer requested that U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon Rhea (D.) turn over documents related to Epstein’s activities in the territory dating back to 1998. Epstein had two islands in the territory and maintained connections to prominent political officials from the U.S. Virgin Islands, including House Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D.).
Epstein was a client of JPMorgan Chase for almost two decades until 2013. He was subsequently a Deutsche Bank client until late 2018. Former JPMorgan Chase executive Jes Staley, a longtime friend of Epstein’s, left the bank the same year it dropped Epstein as a client.
JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank both agreed to substantial settlements with Epstein’s victims in 2023 to settle lawsuits accusing them of enabling Epstein’s sex trafficking.
Comer previously requested that the Treasury Department turn over suspicious activity reports related to Epstein’s and Maxwell’s financial transactions. The Oversight Committee said the Treasury Department is cooperating with the panel’s request. In 2019, JP Morgan Chase conducted an internal investigation called “Project Jeep” and flagged over 4,000 Epstein transactions as suspicious in a report sent to federal regulators.
