Senate Proposal Seeks to Force Trump Administration to Release Sealed Epstein Financial Files

A senior U.S. senator has introduced draft legislation aimed at compelling the Treasury Department to disclose financial records that may identify women and girls allegedly trafficked by the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the leading Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, is pressing President Donald Trump’s administration to release documents tied to more than $1.5 billion in Epstein-related wire transfers.

Wyden argues the records could expose serious lapses in federal anti–money laundering compliance by major banks, including J.P. Morgan, which he says allowed Epstein’s abuse and trafficking to continue long after authorities were first alerted.

Wyden’s move follows the release of files this week by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which included a sexually suggestive note bearing a signature resembling Trump’s. The White House has dismissed the document as a forgery, and Trump has denied that the signature is authentic.

During Joe Biden’s presidency, Wyden chaired the Senate Finance Committee, whose investigative staff reviewed many of the Treasury files in person. According to Wyden’s office, the documents detail at least $1.5 billion in Epstein-linked transactions and list women and girls he may have exploited, as well as individuals whose ties to Epstein could leave them vulnerable to blackmail or foreign influence.

Wyden said he decided to introduce legislation after repeated, unsuccessful efforts to obtain the records from the Treasury Department. The department did not respond to requests for comment before publication.

The proposal comes on the heels of a New York Times investigation reporting that J.P. Morgan profited from its relationship with Epstein and established accounts for young women who were later identified as sex trafficking victims. J.P. Morgan told the Times that its association with Epstein was a mistake and said it did not assist in his crimes. The bank declined to comment to OCCRP on Wyden’s draft bill.

Deutsche Bank has also faced scrutiny over its dealings with Epstein. In 2020, New York state regulators fined the bank $150 million for failing to monitor and stop millions of dollars in suspicious Epstein-related transactions, despite awareness of his criminal background. Deutsche Bank did not respond to a request for comment.

Under Wyden’s proposal, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would be required to disclose which banks filed Suspicious Activity Reports connected to Epstein, along with the individuals and entities named in those filings. The bill would also mandate details on how the Treasury Department and its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network handled the reports.

The Treasury records outline a chronological trail of Epstein’s payments and could shed light on his actions following the Miami Herald’s 2018 “Perversion of Justice” investigation, which preceded his arrest the following year and his death in jail while awaiting trial.

Wyden said he has requested information on 72 individuals and entities that conducted transactions with Epstein, including the now-defunct Jersey-based La Hougue trust and British lawyer Malcolm Grumbridge. Both were examined in a 2022 OCCRP and Miami Herald investigation into the finances of Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Grumbridge has said he served only as an external adviser to the Maxwell family and acted on client instructions regarding the trust.

According to Wyden, the Treasury files could be crucial to expanding investigations into Epstein’s network. “Following the money has always been the clearest path to identifying Epstein’s clients, the facilitators, and the banks that enabled his trafficking operation,” he said.