One year in, Epstein inquiry has found few answers

As the U.S. House Oversight Committee’s inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein approaches its one-year mark, the witness list has included some of the highest-profile figures ever to appear before the panel.

Billionaire moguls, members of Epstein’s inner circle and a former U.S. president have been among the dozen-plus witnesses. All have sought to distance themselves from the deceased sex offender’s crimes. None have had much to say to help lawmakers bring charges against any wrongdoers.

In the U.K., ties to Epstein caused a leadership crisis, led to the former Prince Andrew losing his honours and princely title and triggered police investigations. Senior officials in Norway, Sweden, France and Slovakia have all faced a reckoning for their associations with the disgraced financier. In the U.S., prominent figures have been forced to resign while some have been grilled by lawmakers.

But a group of Epstein abuse survivors say the truth is still hiding. They have criticized committee interviews for having largely been voluntary and not under oath. Billionaire investor Leon Black took a stance shared by many of the witnesses when he said at his closed-door testimony, “I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde.”

Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008 and spent 13 months in jail. He died in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

Black, the co-founder and former CEO of Appollo Global Management, had paid Epstein more than US$150 million from 2012 to 2017. The private equity firm commissioned a report that found the payments were for “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services.”

Republican committee chairman Rep. James Comer told reporters Black cut the meeting short after being asked about nondisclosure agreements (NDA) he had signed with women.

“The NDAs are between him and other women,” Comer told reporters after Black walked out about an hour into the voluntary interview. “We want to know: Was Jeffrey Epstein involved in the NDAs? Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? What was the reason for the NDAs?”

Black was issued two subpoenas for him to appear at another hearing, which will be held under oath on July 16, and to divulge information about any NDAs.

Richard Kahn, who worked as Epstein’s accountant for more than a decade, testified in March that he received money from Black, along with billionaire retailer Les Wexner, hedge fund magnate Glenn Dubin, former Microsoft executive Steven Sinofsky and members of the prominent Rothschild family, Comer said. Wexner, who is alleged to be behind much of Epstein’s wealth, told committee members in February Epstein was a “conman” who duped him out of millions of dollars.

Democratic Congressman Suhas Subramanyam described Kahn as a “fixer” who played a central role in Epstein’s financial activities. He made payments for tuition and to girls directly, and his name appeared on shell companies used to channel Epstein’s money, Subramanyam noted.

Khan said in prepared remarks shared with the media that he was “not aware of the terrible and unforgivable things that he did to women and girls.”

“Today we’ve heard from Mr. Kahn a lot of inability to recall, inability to recall emails, text messages he was involved in,” Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw said. “If he was ignorant of Mr. Epstein’s crimes, he was willfully ignorant.”

The Congressional probe was spurred by public pressure and appeals from survivors over the U.S. Justice Department’s handling of the case against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is the only other person besides Epstein to be charged by the Justice Department. She is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in recruiting some of the underage victims abused by Epstein.

The Justice Department review into the Epstein investigation concluded last year that it “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” The same memo also noted that Epstein had “harmed over one thousand victims.” Being associated with Epstein does not imply criminal culpability, the department has said.

While the interviews have fallen short of uncovering criminal activity, they have revealed damaging information about powerful men. Bill Gates admitted that he had three affairs, including one with a Russian bridge player and another a Russian nuclear physicist, that Epstein became aware of. Based on emails released in January, Epstein may have been considering ways to blackmail him, Gates told the committee.

Gates associated with Epstein starting in 2011, while being aware of “a horrific crime and continued to interact with him to seek money for his foundation,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top-ranking democrat, said. Gates maintained that he “never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct.”

Melinda French Gates has said her husband’s affairs and association with Epstein contributed to her seeking to end their 27-year marriage in 2021.

Meanwhile, prominent members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second administration have also been called before the committee. Pam Bondi, who was ousted as attorney general in April, told lawmakers that the release of the files was under the purview of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“During questioning, Ms. Bondi invoked Mr. Blanche’s name more than 30 times, pointing to him as the person responsible for DOJ’s actions involving the review, withholding, and botched release of Epstein-related records,” Garcia said.

For his part, Blanche briefed the committee in March but has since been called on by survivors to testify under oath. A New York Times investigation revealed that Blanche was in the Situation Room with Trump and other administration officials to discuss how to contain the political fallout from the release of the Epstein files. Trump, whose name appears thousands of times in the files, has not been accused of criminal misconduct.

Survivors released a joint statement that they were deeply disturbed by the Times report and came out against Blanche’s nomination as Trump’s permanent attorney general.

“Blanche failed to deliver transparency, and he has gravely failed survivors,” they wrote.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was Epstein’s next-door neighbour in New York, testified in May that he had met him three times: once during a tour of Epstein’s house with his wife in 2005; another brief conversation about scaffolding on their property; and a meeting with Lutnick’s family on Epstein’s private island for lunch in 2012. He denied having any close relationship with Epstein. The testimony was criticized for being voluntary and not under oath.

Bill Clinton, whose well-documented relationship with Epstein went back more than two decades, was sworn in. He said his relationship with Epstein ended in 2003 after he learned that Epstein didn’t seem interested in his global health initiatives.

If he had been aware of Epstein committing any crimes “I would have turned him in myself,” Clinton said.

Last week, during his testimony, Doug Band, a longtime Clinton aide, contradicted a previous statement to Vanity Fair that Clinton had visited Epstein’s island, lawmakers noted. Emails exchanged between Band and Maxwell in the early 2000s included pet names such as “baby-cakes” and “boo-boo” the Epstein files have revealed. Band reportedly said he had taken steps to take Clinton out of Maxwell and Epstein’s orbit.

The former Prince Andrew and Trump, whose names appear in the files thousands of times, should also appear before the committee, survivors have said. Following closed-door meeting with survivors in June, Comer has said he will also call Alan Dershowitz to testify.

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