Epstein's Longtime Accountant Testifies On His Wealth And Business Ties

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers were digging into Jeffrey Epstein’s sprawling financial portfolio connected Wednesday arsenic a committee deposed his erstwhile accountant and tried to understand his connections to immoderate of nan world’s wealthiest men.

Richard Kahn, who worked intimately pinch Epstein for years and now serves arsenic an organizer of his estate, appeared for nan closed-door deposition connected Capitol Hill. He told lawmakers that he had not personally seen grounds of Epstein’s intersexual abuse, but provided a fuller image of really Epstein acquired his wealth. The able financier made hundreds of millions of dollars complete 2 decades, during which he struck up friendships pinch immoderate of nan world’s astir powerful men.

Kahn “was nether nan belief that Epstein made his money arsenic a taxation advisor and a financial planner,” said Rep. James Comer, nan Republican chair of nan House Oversight Committee. Lawmakers based on that a fuller image of Epstein’s finances could thief nan nationalist understand how, for years, he was capable to get distant pinch trafficking and sexually abusing underage girls.

“Jeffrey Epstein’s activity trafficking ringing would not person been imaginable without Richard Kahn, who managed Epstein’s money for years, authorized payments, including payments to victims and survivors,” said Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., who added that Kahn told them he was incapable to callback specifications of immoderate of nan transactions and communications that he was asked about.

Kahn has said that he was unaware of Epstein’s intersexual maltreatment and had not seen immoderate of his victims.

Comer, R-Ky., besides said that lawmakers confirmed during nan deposition that Epstein received important amounts of money from erstwhile unit shopping concatenation executive Les Wexner, hedge money head Glenn Dubin, tech entrepreneur Steven Sinofsky, investor Leon Black and nan Rothschilds, a able banking family.

None of those group person been accused of wrongdoing successful their relationships pinch Epstein, but Democrats connected nan committee based on that anyone pinch ties to nan able financier should beryllium scrutinized. Wexner was deposed by nan committee past month, and Comer has besides called connected Black, among respective others, to look for transcribed interviews.

Kahn besides told lawmakers that Epstein had financial ties to Ehud Barak, who was nan premier curate of Israel from 1999 to 2001, according to Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam. Barak has not been accused of wrongdoing and has said he regrets his relationship pinch Epstein.

Comer besides said Wednesday that nan committee has reviewed complete 40,000 documents that it subpoenaed from JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank. Epstein was connected to astatine slightest 64 business entities, according to Comer.

Republican President Trump has powerfully denied immoderate wrongdoing successful his ain ties to Epstein, and Comer said that Kahn had ne'er seen immoderate financial transactions betwixt Epstein and Trump. Comer said that Kahn is nan latest witnesser to attest that they had ne'er seen Trump doing thing incorrect pinch Epstein.

“The investigation’s astir getting nan truth to nan American people, trying to fig retired really nan authorities failed, reply questions we each have,” Comer said.

Groves writes for nan Associated Press.