In recent months, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been conducting a comprehensive and highly public investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender and disgraced financier. Keeping track of the developments in this case has proven challenging, even for astute observers.
Initially, public interest centered around the investigative files held by the Department of Justice (DOJ). However, the Oversight Committee’s inquiry extends beyond that, as it has issued subpoenas or letters to various entities, including the US Treasury Department, the Attorney General of the US Virgin Islands, the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein, and several banks.
In certain cases, these entities were asked to send separate copies of the same documents to both Democratic and Republican committee members. These lawmakers have subsequently released their selected documents to the public, sometimes on the same day, and often comprising overlapping sets of pages.
The formats of these releases have varied significantly, including screenshots of multiple emails compiled into a single PDF file, as well as a Google Drive link containing a 30,000-page document set still in an e-discovery format.
Given the complexity of the situation, it can be difficult to ascertain which documents have been released, which have not, and what is expected in the future. WIRED has reviewed the letters and subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee, alongside available public releases, to clarify the scope of Epstein-related documents and their accessibility. Additionally, the DOJ is also working on releasing further documents, as recent court rulings have permitted the unsealing of grand jury materials, with an additional release anticipated later this month in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The Oversight Committee is currently focusing on Epstein’s financial records. In public statements, committee members indicated that both the banks and the Treasury Department are cooperating with their requests, though documents from these entities have not yet been released. According to WIRED, there are three notable gaps in document releases from Epstein’s estate, acknowledged by a committee aide, which are said to include details about Epstein’s bank accounts and cash ledgers.
US Department of Justice
In early August, the committee subpoenaed Pam Bondi, the attorney general, seeking documents and communications related to the DOJ’s lawsuits involving Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as the 2007 Florida investigation into Epstein and details surrounding his death.
The DOJ produced an initial batch of 33,295 pages of “Epstein-related records,” which were released in September. Committee Democrats asserted that “97 percent of the pages included information previously released” by various law enforcement bodies. These documents encompass surveillance footage from the night Epstein was discovered dead in his jail cell, public court filings related to the investigations outlined in the subpoena, and a memo from Bondi to FBI Director Kash Patel regarding the release of the Epstein files.
A late November press release stated that the DOJ had delivered “roughly 33,000 pages of records to date.” As of early December, the Oversight Committee had not released any new documents from the DOJ. Following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the DOJ will be required to publish all unclassified records related to the investigation and prosecution of Epstein “in a searchable and downloadable format,” much to the relief of those looking to analyze the material.
The US Treasury
In late August, Representative James Comer communicated with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, requesting Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and related materials concerning Epstein and Maxwell. SARs are tightly controlled, and unauthorized disclosure of them violates federal law.
Comer’s letter requested that the documents be delivered by September 15, 2025. An Oversight Committee press release from late November indicated that “the Department of Treasury is fully cooperating with the committee’s request,” though no documents have been made public thus far.
