Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has issued subpoenas for financial records related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, targeting J.P. Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, and the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General. The ongoing investigation into Epstein’s activities has intensified with the recent legislative efforts to force the release of all Department of Justice files on the case. The subpoenas were announced following a near-unanimous vote in the House to pass a bill that will require the Justice Department to disclose more information about the case against Epstein.
JPMorgan Chase’s internal investigation identified 4,700 transactions that were flagged as suspicious during Epstein’s time at the bank, which spanned from 2007 to 2016. Deutsche Bank, on the other hand, was the financial institution where Epstein held accounts from 2013 until potentially 2018. The subpoenas to these financial institutions aim to uncover any potential wrongdoing in the handling of Epstein’s funds and to provide insights into the legal actions taken by these banks in response to the allegations.
The House’s interest in Epstein’s financial dealings has also extended to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein previously owned the islands of Little St. James and Great St. James. The subpoenas to the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General come after the release of documents that revealed that Del. Stacey Plaskett consulted with Epstein during a 2019 hearing with Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer. The House is set to vote on a resolution to censure Plaskett and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee as a result of these allegations.
The committee’s effort to secure these records aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how the government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws was applied in the case of Epstein and his associates. The release of these records could have significant implications for the ongoing investigation and for the legal proceedings involving Epstein and his alleged co-conspirators.