Congress Introduces Bill to Probe Wall Street Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Lawmakers headed by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Robert Garcia, with Republican support from Rep. Thomas Massie, introduced the Epstein Wall Street Records Act on Thursday. The proposal obliges regulators—including the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission—to scrutinize banks and investment firms for breaches of banking, investment or illicit-funding laws when they have ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

It also requires agencies to make any Epstein-related documents public and to forward potential criminal violations to the Justice Department. Warren argued that both major banks and the previous administration have avoided accountability, necessitating congressional action. The bill arrives as Warren denounced Barclays for not adequately vetting former chief executive Jes Staley, whose relationship with Epstein was deemed “close” by UK regulators. Barclays has responded with a letter from its US government-relations head, but Warren says the response is insufficient.