Bipartisan Bill Targets Financial Regulators Over Epstein Ties
Federal financial watchdogs and Wall Street institutions that allegedly facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation face new statutory hurdles under bipartisan legislation introduced in Congress.
The proposed measure would compel the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Securities and Exchange Commission to turn over records tied to the late financier. It also requires regulators to investigate banking executives with ties to Epstein, alongside mandatory industry bans and civil penalties for any entity found to have aided him.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who leads the Senate banking committee’s Democrats, framed the push as a necessary intervention against financial institutions that prioritized earnings over legal compliance.
The Push for Wall Street Accountability
“I have spent the last year calling on Donald Trump’s financial regulators to launch investigations into the big banks and executives who may have enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes,” Warren said in a statement. “Since they have failed to act, Congress must. The bipartisan Epstein Wall Street Records Act will ensure overdue accountability for the wealthy and well-connected on Wall Street who put profits over people.”
The legislative text is co-led in the House by Representatives Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. On the Senate side, co-sponsors include Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.
This statutory offensive builds on months of independent congressional inquiries. Over the past year, Warren has pressed executives at Barclays, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase regarding their institutional exposure to Epstein.
Anti-Money Laundering Failures and DOJ Emails
Parallel investigations have yielded specific findings. In August, Ron Wyden, in his capacity as the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, released an investigation that found “significant evidence that JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, and Bank of America violated federal anti-money laundering laws by failing to screen and report Epstein’s suspicious financial transactions in a timely manner.”
Further pressure materialized in July 2026. Warren sent a letter to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon querying him regarding newly resurfaced Department of Justice emails connected to the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Those documents indicated that Epstein and former U.K. Business Secretary Peter Mandelson communicated in December 2009 about a proposed 50% tax on bankers’ bonuses, discussing how to prompt Dimon to apply pressure on then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling.
Barclays, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase all declined to comment on Thursday.
Following the Money After Transparency Fights
The new bill arrives months after a bruising legislative fight over public disclosure. Initially, Republicans largely resisted efforts by Representatives Massie and Khanna to force a vote on releasing Epstein-related files. However, after Donald Trump indicated support, the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed both chambers of Congress with near unanimity and was signed into law in November 2025, forcing the Department of Justice to make its files public.
Ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats leveraged past Republican opposition to those disclosures in campaign advertisements. Lawmakers who backed public transparency are now pivoting toward financial accountability.
“The Epstein Files Transparency Act forced the Attorney General to release DOJ, FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices’ files. This bill does the same for bank regulators. Justice for the survivors means following the money,” Massie said.
Regulatory bodies targeted by the new statutory requirements have yet to commit to a formal course of action. A spokesperson for the Federal Reserve declined to comment on the legislation, while representatives for the other regulators did not immediately respond to inquiries.
