House Oversight Report Says Government Failed Epstein Survivors
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee says the federal government mishandled investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and failed his survivors. Its report follows 15 months of interviews with 19 people, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Democrats, who take over the House in January, call it partisan.
The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee has released a report on its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, concluding that the federal government mishandled criminal investigations into him and failed his survivors. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was among 19 people the panel interviewed over 15 months.
Gates appeared for a deposition before the committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Others interviewed included former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Many interviews were held behind closed doors, with transcripts released days later.
Appearing in the Justice Department's Epstein files or before the committee is not necessarily an indication of criminal wrongdoing.
Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, said Epstein "operated with impunity, shielded and enabled by powerful connections and a justice system that repeatedly failed his victims."
Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and later died in prison. Authorities determined his death was a suicide.
The report concludes that Epstein's crimes after 2005 could have been prevented if not for the "failures" of federal prosecutors in South Florida and Washington. His 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14 has long been criticized as a "sweetheart deal." He served 13 months in Palm Beach County Jail, with a 12-hour work release during the day, and had to register as a sex offender.
The committee found that the facts uncovered do not suggest President Donald Trump was implicated in any of Epstein's crimes. The report accuses Democrats of launching an "unfounded witch hunt" by trying to insinuate otherwise.
Trump has long said he had a falling out with Epstein before the financier was indicted for soliciting prostitution in 2006. In February, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that Trump has been "totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein."
The report hands the next steps to the Justice Department. It says the agency needs to interview or re-interview witnesses and investigate crimes committed by Epstein's associates.
In June, the committee interviewed Sarah Kellen, a longtime assistant of Epstein who says she is also a survivor of his abuse. According to the report, Kellen named two men in her transcribed testimony, and the committee sent those names to the Justice Department for further investigation. The department has not announced any investigations into the men.
Democrats take control of the House in January. Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat, is expected to lead the committee, and he criticized the report as "partisan."
"Oversight Republicans have released a report based on an incomplete investigation and zero public hearings on Jeffrey Epstein," Garcia said. "We intend to hold real public hearings uplifting survivors and asking tough questions of the powerful men who associated with Epstein, including Donald Trump. Our work is just getting started."
