Wyden Criticizes Trump Administration Over Epstein Financial Records
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) expressed strong criticism towards the Trump administration for failing to produce financial records related to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that could be valuable to Congress and the public.
Wyden tweeted, “Big news from my investigator on Epstein’s sex trafficking business: The Trump administration has the Epstein file detailing 4,725 wire transfers and nearly $1.1 billion flowing through various banks.”
He further remarked, “Epstein had to finance his sex trafficking somehow, and the evidence points to him using Russian banks for processing hundreds of millions in payments. This information belongs to the Trump administration, yet they refuse to investigate.”
Oka reached out to the White House for a response.
Senate Democrats are increasingly joining a growing number of lawmakers pressing federal agencies to release additional documents relating to Epstein’s sex trafficking activities involving minors.
Wyden noted, “We felt this was the right approach from the start.” This was highlighted in a New York Times article published on Thursday.
“The horrific practices of sex trafficking came at a cost to Epstein, and he must have sourced that money from somewhere,” he added.
Staff members from Wyden’s team reportedly examined documentation linking Epstein’s sizeable money transfers to various individuals and foreign nations, utilizing reports from the Bank’s Suspicious Activities Report (SAR). This information was also reviewed by the Times.
A three-year inquiry by Oregon Senators indicated that Epstein’s SAR, submitted by JPMorgan for $1.1 billion in 2019, revealed these transactions. The report covered a total of 4,700 payments made over a decade, which included payments to women from countries like Belarus, Russia, and Turkmenistan.
Wyden’s team discovered another document from Deutsche Bank concerning approximately $400 million, with additional substantial amounts from New York Mellon Bank ($378 million) and Bank of America.
This report comes months after Epstein’s arrest in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. However, a memo from the Department of Justice and the FBI released in July indicated that most information related to Epstein’s crimes is expected to be made public.
Despite this, Wyden insists these SARs are “essential” for combating misinformation about illegal activities involving billionaires.
“If a perpetrator like Epstein passes away or if the bank only begins to file these reports posthumously, that raises significant concerns,” Wyden commented on the situation.
Many of Epstein’s victims echoed these thoughts. In 2023, they reached a $290 million settlement with JPMorgan and a $75 million settlement with Deutsche Bank, as reported by the Times.
Wyden’s call for increased transparency has garnered bipartisan support across both chambers. House Republicans are considering measures to release more information related to the Epstein case, despite having previously opposed a Democratic-led amendment that sought the same goal, according to sources.
