House Democrats launch investigation into whether Jeffrey Epstein acted as a foreign agent
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin is launching an investigation into whether Jeffrey Epstein acted as an unregistered foreign agent for multiple countries and is requesting records from the Trump administration regarding the extent of the late sex offender’s foreign contacts.
In the Republican-controlled House, Raskin’s demands to the Justice Department, State Department and intelligence community will likely go unanswered, but his push as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee serves as a preview of how Democrats will conduct investigations if they retake their House majority in the next Congress; This would give them control of committees with subpoena power.
In a new letter, Raskin points to documents released by the Justice Department and the House Oversight Committee and says he found “substantial evidence” that Epstein “acted to further the interests” of the governments of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, advised the Russian government and worked as an advisor to a former Israeli prime minister. Raskin also raises concerns about potential security risks posed by Epstein’s foreign dealings, given that he was never registered as a foreign agent.
“Our review of the available evidence has already revealed damning indications of Mr. Epstein’s activities on behalf of foreign governments,” Raskin wrote.
CNN has reached out to the Department of Justice, Department of State and the Director of National Intelligence for comment.
But Raskin believes more information about Epstein’s foreign ties could be found in the nearly 2.5 million documents the Justice Department has not released regarding him. The Democratic lawmaker is demanding any records related to Epstein’s interactions with foreign officials. In addition, Raskin is calling for the Justice Department to provide a written response on whether there is an investigation into whether Epstein acted as a foreign agent.
“Despite having such extensive, well-documented personal and professional contacts with officials of foreign governments, Mr. Epstein never registered as a foreign agent,” Raskin wrote.
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