Here’s What Republicans’ Long-Awaited Epstein Report Shows
The House Oversight Committee released its final report Tuesday blasting the Department of Justice's (DOJ) handling of the case surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Nicole Silverio·Nov 10, 2026·6 min read
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The House Oversight Committee released its final report Tuesday blasting the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) handling of the case surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The committee concluded that the federal government failed the alleged survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring for decades and that the DOJ must “advance transparency and justice” for survivors, according to the report. It recommended that the DOJ establish a proper process for the alleged survivors to access their personal files without redactions and that the agency continue to interview key witnesses.
The 136-page report detailed how financial institutions failed to identify indicators of human trafficking and enabled the activity. It also stated that Congress must pass legislation to prevent the weaponization of nondisclosure agreements.
“One thing is abundantly clear in the Epstein matter: the federal government failed over the course of decades and multiple administrations to ensure justice and protect Epstein survivors,” the committee’s Republicans said in the report. “DOJ must make renewed efforts to provide this needed justice and accountability to Epstein survivors.”
The DOJ reportedly failed to adequately communicate about document releases after the Epstein Files Transparency Act became law in November 2025, which ordered the DOJ to publicly release all unclassified records regarding the Epstein case.
The committee called on the DOJ to ensure investigators interview or reinterview key witnesses to bring forth justice for the alleged survivors, including Sarah Kellen, who alleged that former Democratic Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and French celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai sexually assaulted her in the early 2000s, according to the report.
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The committee said the DOJ should investigate Epstein’s former assistant, Lesley Groff, about her potential knowledge of Epstein’s alleged crimes and her role in facilitating his alleged criminal activity, according to the report.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida entered into a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in 2007, allowing him to evade federal prosecution in exchange for pleading guilty to lesser state solicitation charges. Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in jail, received work-release privileges during which he continued to abuse women and was released early, according to the report.
Former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, the prosecutor whose office was responsible for the plea deal, allegedly told the Trump transition team that he was told to back off the Epstein case because Epstein “belonged to intelligence,” although he later denied that Epstein was an intelligence asset. Acosta resigned as labor secretary during President Donald Trump’s first term after top Democratic leaders and 2020 presidential candidates called on him to resign in 2019 after the plea deal resurfaced.
A review by the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) concluded in November 2020 that Acosta showed “poor judgement” in approving the plea deal and failing to notify the victims.
By failing to inform the alleged survivors of the agreement, prosecutors undermined “their ability to pursue civil claims or publicly expose Epstein’s crimes,” according to the report.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the government’s failure to protect the alleged victims must not be repeated.
“The federal government has failed the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes for decades,” Comer said. “The House Oversight Committee conducted a review of the federal government’s mishandled investigations to bring transparency to the American people and accountability for survivors. Epstein operated with impunity, shielded and enabled by powerful connections and a justice system that repeatedly failed his victims. Governments at every level and powerful institutions must meet their legal obligations to identify these crimes, stop perpetrators, and deliver justice for survivors.”
“The evidence we uncovered makes clear that the Department of Justice must interview or re-interview key witnesses, investigate Epstein associates accused of criminal activity, and ensure survivors have access to their records,” Comer continued. “Congress must also pass legislation protecting the ability of individuals with knowledge of sexual abuse and survivors to speak freely about these crimes, regardless of nondisclosure agreements.”
The committee found that Trump didn’t engage in wrongdoing involving Epstein’s alleged crimes.
The committee found that understaffing and a systemic dysfunction caused correctional officers to miss at least 12 rounds and three inmate counts on the night of Epstein’s death.
The disgraced financier was under psychological evaluation at the time after he attempted to commit suicide on July 23, 2019, according to a CNN timeline of Epstein’s death. On the night of his death, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, the two correctional officers on duty, did not perform the required 12:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. counts and completed a form falsely saying that they did. They found Epstein dead in his cell around 6:33 a.m. with a noose around his neck.
Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by Epstein’s brother, told “Fox & Friends” in October 2019 that Epstein’s autopsy was more consistent with homicidal strangulation than suicidal hanging. The 66-year-old had two fractures on the left and right sides of his larynx and a fracture on the left hyoid bone above the Adam’s apple.
The DOJ charged Nova and Thomas in November 2019 with one count of “conspiring to defraud the U.S.” by “impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the MCC” and for falsifying records, though the charges were later dropped as part of a deferred prosecution agreement.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates testified in a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee in June about his connections to Epstein. The DOJ’s release of the Epstein files disclosed Gates’ previous friendship with Epstein, including references to two scheduled meetings between the men and an alleged sexually transmitted disease (STD) Gates contracted from Russian prostitutes.
In an email draft from July 18, 2013, Epstein wrote that Gates asked him to delete emails regarding his alleged STD and claimed that he sought antibiotics to secretly give to his then-wife, Melinda.
The House held former Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying two subpoenas related to his association with Epstein. Black had a personal and financial relationship with Epstein for decades and paid Epstein at least $158 million after he became a registered sex offender.
Trump and former Attorney General Pam Bondi initially opposed releasing the Epstein files, claiming that the files contained sensitive information, that his death was a suicide and that there was no incriminating client list. Trump referred to calls to release the files as a “Democrat hoax” and pressured Republican Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado to remove their names from a petition to force a vote on releasing the files, though they kept their names on the petition.
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