House to meet privately with Jeffrey Epstein victims as probe targets 'suspicious' financial transactions

House Oversight Committee members will hold a private, bipartisan meeting with victims of Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday as part of an expanding congressional review of the Department of Justice’s handling of prosecutions and of recently identified "suspicious" financial transactions linked to Epstein.

The meeting comes after the committee issued a flurry of subpoenas and a records request seeking DOJ files about financial activity and other materials tied to the estate and networks surrounding Epstein. Lawmakers say interviews with survivors could produce new leads and context for questions about prosecutorial decisions and whether the department adequately investigated possible criminal activity connected to Epstein.

One of the better-known survivors, Virginia Giuffre, who first sued Epstein in 2015, died in April following a car crash. A Justice Department memo released in July said there could be more than 1,000 victims who may hold information about Epstein’s conduct and associated transactions, an assertion the committee has cited in arguing for expanded document collection and testimony.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted Epstein associate, in July as part of ongoing inquiries. In recent weeks the Oversight Committee compelled testimony or documents from former attorneys general, former FBI directors and former prosecutors, including former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alex Acosta, who in the mid-2000s intervened in a state prosecution that ultimately resulted in a controversial federal plea agreement for Epstein.

Committee officials have framed the sessions with survivors as private to protect victim privacy while allowing lawmakers to gather sworn accounts that could illuminate how prosecutors and law enforcement handled allegations and financial trails tied to Epstein. The Oversight Committee has described its work as a fact-finding effort to determine whether department policies or decisions impeded a full accounting of crimes and associated activities.

Public details about the specific financial transactions that prompted the records request have not been released by the committee. Lawmakers have said only that the request targets transactions they consider atypical or potentially relevant to criminal investigations, and that records from financial institutions and DOJ investigative files are central to their review.

The committee’s inquiry follows longstanding criticism of the 2008 plea agreement that allowed Epstein to plead to state charges with limited federal prosecution, an outcome that drew scrutiny from survivors, law enforcement observers and lawmakers. That deal and subsequent federal prosecutions have been at the center of congressional attention as members seek to understand prosecutorial choices and whether additional accountability or reforms are warranted.

Survivors who meet with the committee are expected to speak privately and not as part of an open hearing. The Oversight Committee has used such sessions in other investigations to collect testimony and corroborating documents before deciding whether to hold public hearings or to issue further subpoenas.

The committee’s broader review remains active, and lawmakers have indicated they will continue to pursue documents and witness interviews they consider relevant to their assessment of the Justice Department’s conduct. The department has acknowledged the committee’s requests and, in some cases, has produced materials or coordinated witness interviews with committee staff.

As the inquiry proceeds, lawmakers will weigh the evidence gathered from victims, former officials and records requests in determining whether to take additional oversight actions, including potential public hearings or legislative proposals related to prosecutorial oversight and transparency.