Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have issued a scathing report detailing government failures that allowed convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to abuse young women for years.
The report, released Tuesday by the committee led by Kentucky Republican James Comer, follows a 15-month investigation. The inquiry included 19 interviews and depositions, financial records, and documents obtained from the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate.
In a statement, Comer said the federal government had “failed the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes for decades.”
Comer added that Epstein “operated with impunity, shielded and enabled by powerful connections and a justice system that repeatedly failed his victims.”
“Governments at every level and powerful institutions must meet their legal obligations to identify these crimes, stop perpetrators, and deliver justice for survivors,” Comer said.
Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, criticized the report as being based on “an incomplete investigation and zero public hearings on Jeffrey Epstein.” He said the work “is just getting started” and vowed “to hold real public hearings uplifting survivors and asking tough questions of the powerful men who associated with Epstein, including Donald Trump.”
The committee’s most serious findings focused on repeated failures by federal authorities to protect Epstein’s victims, allowing the disgraced financier to avoid significant consequences despite years of sexual abuse allegations.
The report did not identify evidence linking President Donald Trump to Epstein’s crimes. Republicans accused Democrats of being “obsessed” with trying to “implicate President Trump and insinuate that he was involved in the crimes of Epstein and Maxwell.”
James Comer speaks to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC in March
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein
Republican handling of the Epstein files investigation became one factor cited in reports that some working-class men were less inclined to support the GOP during the midterms.
Among members of the MAGA movement, the Trump administration’s handling of the files prompted anger. Podcaster Joe Rogan described the issue as “a line in the sand” and accused the administration of trying to “gaslight” voters.
Democrats argued that the Epstein controversy was resonating with working-class voters. In Kansas, the party ran advertisements accusing Republican Senator Roger Marshall of “protecting pedophiles” through his congressional votes and of belonging to the “Epstein class.”
In Florida, Democrats spent heavily on a 30-second advertisement that aired during Game 3 of the World Series. The ad featured an Epstein survivor accusing Republican Senator Ashley Moody of “voting to protect the man who abused me.”
Men overall supported Democrats by a narrow 50-to-47 margin in the 2026 midterms.
During the months-long inquiry, Republicans and Democrats were among those called to testify about what they knew—or did not know—about Epstein’s crimes.
Nineteen people sought by the committee appeared before lawmakers. Their names included several prominent figures.
Billionaire Leon Black defied two congressional subpoenas and refused to testify about Epstein
Leon Black
Leon Black paid Epstein an estimated $158 million to $170 million between 2012 and 2017 for tax, estate-planning, and related services.
In September, lawmakers from both parties unanimously voted to hold Black in contempt of Congress after he declined to appear before the committee for a second time.
Bill and Hillary Clinton
The investigation established a new precedent when former President Bill Clinton gave a closed-door deposition near his home in Chappaqua, New York. His wife, former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also appeared before the committee.
The committee also heard from Republican witnesses, including current and former officials from the Trump administration.
Howard Lutnick
Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick gave a transcribed interview. Investigators confirmed that Lutnick met Trump in Epstein’s foyer in 2011 and later had lunch with his family at Little St. James in 2012.
Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi, the first attorney general of Trump’s second term, also testified. In February 2025, Bondi claimed she had the entire “Epstein client list” on her desk. She later “sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel requesting all remaining Epstein files be produced to the DOJ,” saying she feared that relevant records had not been transferred.
Bill Barr
Bill Barr, who served as attorney general during Trump’s first term in 2019 and 2020, was deposed as part of the inquiry. Investigators found that Barr discussed the Epstein case only in general terms and was not deeply involved. Barr also told lawmakers he had no doubt that Epstein died by suicide.
Bill Gates
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates appeared on Capitol Hill for a transcribed interview and faced renewed scrutiny over his past relationship with Epstein.
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Hillary and Bill Clinton were both interviewed by lawmakers during the course of the Epstein Investigation
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft sat through an interview with the House Oversight Committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in June
During a contentious congressional session in June, Gates acknowledged cheating on his former wife, Melinda, and alleged that Epstein tried to use the affairs against him.
Gates was questioned after photos and emails in the Epstein files revealed additional details about his former association with the financier.
Ghislaine Maxwell
Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell appeared before the committee from a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, where she is serving a 20-year sentence. She invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination but sought clemency in exchange for answering questions “fully and honestly.”
Douglas J. Band
Band, a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, was questioned about the former president’s relationship with Epstein. He told the committee he did not recall Clinton visiting Epstein’s island, Little St. James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, despite telling Vanity Fair in 2020 that he had. Because of his work with the Clinton Global Initiative, Band also faced questions about his communications with Ghislaine Maxwell. He denied engaging in any conduct involving Maxwell and young girls and said he worked to distance Clinton from Epstein after allegations of illegal sexual behavior began emerging in the early 2000s.
Richard Kahn
Richard Kahn, a former associate of Epstein, helped oversee the financier’s trust after his death. Under oath, Kahn said he was unaware of Epstein’s sex trafficking or abuse of women and girls. He also identified several prominent people who had paid Epstein for financial, tax, or estate-planning services.
Richard Indyke
Indyke was the other person responsible for overseeing Epstein’s affairs after his death. He testified that he had never witnessed Epstein abuse young women or girls and said he had no reason to view Epstein’s continued contact with many young women as suspicious.
Les Wexner
Victoria’s Secret founder Les Wexner said he was himself a victim of Jeffrey Epstein. Wexner, 88, denied knowing about Epstein’s sex-trafficking crimes in a written statement and described the financier as “diabolical, and a master manipulator.”
Alexander Acosta
Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, told lawmakers he became involved only after negotiations over the non-prosecution agreement began. He could not identify everyone who worked on the case, which investigators said appeared to have been left in the hands of “probable Epstein loyalists.”
Tova Noel
Noel was a correctional officer assigned to oversee Epstein’s jail cell, but she had not been trained for the special housing unit where he was held. A supervisor allegedly instructed her to sign the training log anyway. On the night of Epstein’s suicide, she conducted one improper count at 10 p.m. and failed to conduct any counts during her second shift.
Sarah Kellen
Epstein’s longtime assistant told lawmakers that he tried to retain control over her even while encouraging her to pursue business ventures. Kellen said Epstein and Indyke helped create her design company, SLK Designs, but later used it as another way to exert influence over her. She also said Epstein promised to put an apartment in her name after she had worked for him for five years, but never followed through.
Theodore ‘Ted’ Waitt
Waitt testified about his six-year relationship with Maxwell, during which he met Epstein several times. He described Epstein as “off-putting” and said he would never have introduced Maxwell to his children had he known about her involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
Lesley Groff
Groff worked as an assistant to both Epstein and Maxwell and was responsible for scheduling Epstein’s daily massages. She told investigators she had not suspected that Epstein was capable of sex crimes, but the committee deemed her testimony “not credible.”
Kathryn H. Ruemmler
Ruemmler, a former White House counsel under President Barack Obama, was criticized for maintaining close ties with Epstein and accepting luxury gifts after leaving government service.
James Edward ‘Jes’ Staley
Staley served as a liaison at JPMorgan Chase and frequently communicated with Epstein on the bank’s behalf. He also said he did not know about an email exchange with Epstein that appeared to discuss sexual relations involving one of Epstein’s assistants dressed as a Disney princess.
In Tuesday’s report, Comer and other Republicans urged the Justice Department to pursue additional investigations into Epstein’s associates.
The lawmakers called on the DOJ to reinterview key witnesses and provide victims with access to unredacted versions of their personal files and records.
Comer and his Republican colleagues also asked the department to further examine Epstein’s former assistant Lesley Groff, former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, and celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai.
Levine and Fekkai were accused of sexual misconduct by Sarah Kellen, a longtime Epstein assistant and survivor, during her interview with the Oversight Committee.