This week, demand has skyrocketed for the release of the Epstein files, as U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden ramped up his investigation into Epstein’s financial records. Sen. Wyden, the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, has been investigating Epstein’s financial network for years. In 2024, Finance Committee investigators reviewed a file at the Treasury Department that details more than $1.5 billion in transactions, much of which is believed to have fueled Epstein’s sex-trafficking operations. That file is still in possession of the Trump administration, who have refused to release it or acknowledge its existence.
Yesterday, the Senator wrote to IRS Commissioner Billy Long, asking whether the agency had performed any audits or investigations of Epstein’s tax and estate planning services and transactions. The Senator’s investigation thus far shows the IRS never did.
The Senator has again called on Donald Trump to follow the money and release the Epstein files, including the financial records at the Treasury Department, so that all members of Congress can review them and issue additional subpoenas as necessary to ensure that the American public, especially Epstein’s victims, finally get transparency, accountability, and justice.
“This is not about politics. It is not about red and blue. It is about an evil individual who committed horrific crimes and victimized an enormous number of women and girls. At a time when so many Americans think that the political system is rigged, this is about whether there’s going to be accountability for the people who were involved and who enabled it, and the fact that so much money was being spent indicates that this was a global sex trafficking ring,” said U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. “The question is, is the government going to look out for victims, people who have no power, or is it going to keep on protecting the rich and powerful who are part of Epstein’s network, even when those people have committed horrendous crimes? It’s clear the Trump administration is hoping that this is just going to go away without accountability.”
Here’s what Americans are reading today about the Epstein files, Sen. Wyden’s “Follow the Money” investigation, and the Trump administration’s coverup:
HuffPost: There’s A Whole Separate Batch Of Epstein Files Pam Bondi Doesn’t Control
“According to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the Treasury Department, which oversees taxes and investigates financial crimes, has thousands of records reflecting some of the millions of dollars funneled to Epstein, as well as several suspicious activity reports filed by banks handling the money.
“Treasury officials during the administration of President Joe Biden let Wyden’s staff inspect their files. He said they uncovered more than 7,000 Epstein wire transfers possibly relating to his underage sex trafficking operation.
“‘There has been a concerted effort by the Trump administration to play down that these important records that we have worked with for more than three years are at the Treasury Department,’ Wyden told HuffPost.
“Wyden has called for the Trump administration to hand over the material, which his staff was allowed to see but not copy or remove from the Treasury Department.”
The Independent: Top Democrat demands Trump’s IRS investigate Epstein bank records in sprawling probe: ‘Follow the money’
“The top Democrat on the Senate’s powerful finance committee has been investigating the financial network surrounding Jeffrey Epstein for three years.
“Now he wants the IRS to find out what, exactly, the late sex offender was doing in exchange for $1.5 billion in wire transfers that passed through major financial institutions.
“An investigation, from the office of Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, uncovered more than 4,700 transactions dating to 2003, including payments to women from Russia and eastern European countries.
“More than $158 million came from Wall Street financier Leon Black between 2012 and 2017 for Epstein’s alleged tax support, according to Wyden’s report, and ultimately helped Black avoid more than $1 billion liabilities.
“‘None of these tax transactions Epstein performed were audited,’ Wyden told reporters at a briefing Thursday. ‘It could have blown the lid off Epstein’s cover of being a financial genius … It looks like none of that ever happened … A bunch of federal officials were sleepwalking through this.’”
Bloomberg: Epstein’s Work for Leon Black Should Face IRS Probe, Wyden Says
“A key Senate Democrat broadened his attack on the Trump administration’s handling of records about the financing of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking network, urging the Internal Revenue Service to investigate his tax and estate planning work for private equity titan Leon Black.
“Ron Wyden, the Senate Finance Committee’s top Democrat, wrote Thursday to IRS Commissioner Billy Long to question why the agency had not audited at least $158 million in payments that Black made to Epstein between 2012 and 2017 for complex tax-related transactions. A spokesman for Black denied that he engaged in wrongdoing.
“‘It is unthinkable that transactions amounting to tens of millions of dollars paid to a known criminal for the purpose of helping a mega-wealthy individual dodge billions in taxes were never audited or investigated,’ wrote Wyden, an Oregon Democrat. ‘When Americans think the system is rigged, this is the kind of abuse they think about.’”
NBC Medford (KOBI): Wyden blasts Epstein cover-up, demands Treasury files
“Senator Ron Wyden on Thursday revealed new details of an extensive, previously undisclosed Treasury Department file on Jeffrey Epstein, exposing over $1.5 billion in transactions, including $1.1 billion of 4,700 wire transfers from a single bank linked to Epstein’s sex trafficking operations. Senator Wyden, who has been conducting a years-long ‘follow the money’ investigation into Epstein’s finances, sharply criticized the Trump administration for allegedly obstructing his committee’s access to these crucial records and downplaying the ongoing probe. Wyden also raised serious concerns about the Internal Revenue Service’s apparent failure to investigate massive payments from billionaire Leon Black to Epstein, which he suspects were a cover for illicit activities.”
All Rise News: Senator to IRS: Where were Epstein’s audits?
“For more than three years, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has been conducting what he calls a ‘follow-the-money’ investigation into how Epstein funded his pyramid scheme of sexual abuse of young women and girls. His investigation so far has flagged $1.5 billion in Epstein’s suspicious transactions, breaking down into thousands of wire transfers. The scandal surrounding Trump’s ties to Epstein has only intensified Wyden’s investigation.
“On Thursday, Wyden pressed the Internal Revenue Service on why the agency passed on a particularly ‘suspect’ set of transactions: sky-high payments from billionaire Leon Black to Epstein for purported tax planning services. The New York Times reported that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017, and Black avoided about $1 billion in future estate tax liabilities.”
Law 360: Wyden Demands Info On IRS Audits Of Epstein’s Tax Planning
“The Internal Revenue Service should hand over information about all investigations it conducted on transactions involving deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden said Thursday.
“Wyden, D-Ore., in a letter to IRS Commissioner Billy Long, asked the agency to provide his staff with a list of audits it conducted related to transactions involving Epstein, including any payments made to him for tax planning and the status and end results of those investigations and audits. Wyden also asked the IRS to determine if it has evaluated the full scope of tax planning Epstein provided to ‘wealthy and powerful associates,’ he wrote.”
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