Explosive House report exposes failures it says allowed Epstein's abuse to continue for years

FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee released a report concluding that prosecutorial failures, preferential treatment and institutional negligence allowed Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to continue sexually exploiting young women and girls for years.

The investigation, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving federal prosecutors, financial institutions that overlooked warning signs of sex trafficking and individuals accused of facilitating Epstein's abuse.

The report identified two former federal prosecutors whose involvement in Epstein's original investigation raised potential conflicts of interest.

Matthew Menchel, a senior federal prosecutor who recommended resolving Epstein's case through a non-prosecution agreement, previously had a romantic relationship with Lilly Ann Sanchez, who later represented Epstein.

Menchel did not recuse himself from the investigation and continued communicating and meeting with Epstein after the agreement, according to documents cited by the committee.

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Investigators also learned of an alleged photograph showing Menchel skiing with Epstein in Colorado in the early 2000s but could not verify its existence or establish that Menchel's decisions were improperly influenced. 

Menchel, however, denied ever having skied with Epstein in a statement to the Miami Herald but did not deny meeting with him after leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office. His attorneys said their correspondence concerned potential legal representation and referrals, none of which resulted in business.

His attorneys also maintained that Menchel was not responsible for the final plea agreement, which was more lenient than the arrangement he recommended. A 2020 Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility report found that Menchel failed to disclose his relationship with Sanchez to supervisors but found no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct.

Sanchez did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Former federal prosecutor Bruce Reinhart established a private law practice while employed by the U.S. Attorney's Office and later represented Epstein associates. His practice was involved in matters related to Epstein's work-release program.

Former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta testified that he did not know whether Reinhart had access to information about the Epstein investigation.

Reinhart did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

The committee said it urged the Justice Department to investigate further former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai further, following testimony from Sarah Kellen, a former Epstein assistant who alleged that Epstein and the two associates sexually abused her. 

Both Levine and Fekkai have denied the allegations in earlier statements. Levine and Fekkai did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

Kellen also testified that Epstein instructed another assistant to remove computers, hard drives and other equipment from his Palm Beach residence before authorities searched the property in 2005. Investigators believed the equipment could contain evidence of sexual exploitation.

Epstein's attorney, Darren Indyke, testified that he later learned the hard drives were in the possession of private investigators. Federal investigators identified a potential lead concerning the equipment but abandoned the effort before finalizing Epstein's non-prosecution agreement.

The report also examined whether Sandy Berger, former national security advisor to President Bill Clinton, warned Epstein about the search, given that he sent Epstein an urgent message 18 days before the search. However, the committee found no evidence establishing that Berger tipped him off or that the message concerned the investigation.

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The committee recommended further investigations, stronger protections for trafficking survivors and reforms to prevent similar federal law enforcement failures.

Among those recommended for further investigation was Lesley Groff, Epstein's executive assistant for nearly two decades.

Groff, who scheduled Epstein's daily massage appointments and coordinated travel and lodging for women visiting his properties, testified that she was unaware he was sexually abusing young women and girls. 

Groff continued working for Epstein after his 2008 conviction.

Groff did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

The committee also criticized Epstein's treatment following his 2008 conviction, arguing that his work-release privileges allowed him to continue abusing women.

Epstein served approximately 13 months of an 18-month sentence and was permitted to leave jail for up to 12 hours daily, six days a week.

His privileges included working at the Florida Science Foundation, which the committee described as a sham organization, traveling in private vehicles accompanied by paid off-duty sheriff's deputies, meeting visitors without continuous monitoring and visiting his Palm Beach residence.

Kellen and other survivors alleged that Epstein continued sexually abusing them during his work release.

The investigation also examined Epstein's relationships with prominent politicians, business executives and academic institutions, including billionaire Bill Gates and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Lutnick told the Oversight Committee in 2026 that he had "done absolutely nothing wrong." He acknowledged visiting Epstein's private island for lunch with his family in 2012, despite previously claiming he had cut ties with Epstein in 2005. Lutnick said he could not recall why his family had lunch there. Comer said Lutnick addressed the discrepancy in his opening statement.

Gates testified that Epstein requested reimbursement for expenses involving a woman with whom Gates had an affair. Gates said he refused to pay, ended his relationship with Epstein in late 2014 and was never a client of Epstein's financial businesses.

Gates and Lutnick did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. 

The committee also identified billionaire financier Leon Black as a major source of Epstein's income following his 2008 conviction.

Black paid Epstein approximately $158 million to $170 million for purported tax and estate planning services.

The committee identified an agreement involving a woman with whom Black had an extramarital relationship that reportedly required payments of $100,000 per month for 15 years, among other benefits, in exchange for confidentiality. Epstein reportedly advised Black on the agreement.

Black cited an independent investigation that found he was not involved in Epstein's criminal activities, although the committee questioned its independence.

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Black also refused to fully answer certain committee questions and failed to comply with subpoenas, prompting a unanimous House vote in September 2026 to hold him in criminal contempt of Congress.

Black did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

The report also examined Epstein's relationships with current and former public officials.

Kathryn Ruemmler, former White House counsel under President Barack Obama, maintained a professional relationship with Epstein after his 2008 conviction and received expensive gifts, including designer handbags, boots, spa services and travel upgrades.

In a 2016 email, Ruemmler joked about receiving the "best massage ever but not your kind of massage."

Ruemmler acknowledged that the remark was in poor taste and testified that she believed Epstein had resolved his criminal case and was living lawfully.

She also testified that a May 2019 meeting with Epstein concerned potential litigation threatened by attorney Michael Avenatti, not a criminal investigation.

The report identified Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., as having exchanged text messages with Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing, including communications about questioning a witness.

Plaskett did not deny exchanging the messages. Her office said she received texts from staff, constituents and members of the public, including Epstein, whom she described as a constituent who contacted her following a widely circulated hearing exchange. The committee did not allege wrongdoing by Plaskett.

Ruemmler and Plaskett did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. 

The report also cited an email indicating that House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries' campaign solicited a donation from Epstein.

Jeffries, however, said he had no recollection of the email and had never met or communicated with Epstein. Federal election records reportedly show no donations from Epstein to Jeffries or the committees involved. Reports identified Lisa Rossi of the political consulting firm Dynamic SRG as the sender of the message.

Jeffries did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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Regarding Epstein's death in 2019, the committee identified serious prison security failures but did not overturn the official suicide finding.

The report also criticized the Justice Department for missing disclosure deadlines and exposing survivors' personal information during the release of millions of Epstein-related documents.

The Republican-led investigation stated that it uncovered no evidence implicating President Donald Trump in Epstein's criminal activities and accused congressional Democrats of politicizing the investigation.