California Democratic Representative and Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee Robert Garcia said bank and financial records are the next “biggest thing” in the release of case files related to the federal sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Garcia appeared on MS NOW’s Chris Jansing Reports after the release of photos and videos from Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday.
“The biggest thing that we’re going to learn is actually what’s ahead of us in the next few days as it relates to all of the bank and financial records. We received in total last night about 5,000 pages of photos, videos, some of which we have seen today, and then a substantial amount of bank records. And so those, we are going through, and we believe are really important to our investigation and the case,” Garcia said.
The committee obtained records from J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank. House Oversight Democrats say they plan to release the documents to the public after completing their review in the coming days.
Why It Matters
Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
Epstein had social connections with many prominent individuals, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, with Trump saying his relationship with the financier ended years before his death.
Trump signed legislation last month that compels his administration to release files on Epstein.
What To Know
Garcia told MS NOW that the bank and financial records are “very important to understand the money that was transferred from these incredibly wealthy and powerful men to Jeffrey Epstein, how Jeffrey Epstein obtained his wealth, where was the money coming from.”
He said the records are only a “batch” of documents, and they expect more in the weeks and months ahead.
“It’s also important to note that these are only two banks. We have actually tried to get a subpoena on over 20 banks that we believe have critical information,” Garcia said. “Republicans have only joined us to get information on these two, but we have asked Chairman Comer and the committee to ensure that we get the full information from all 20 of the institutions where we believe money has moved in and out in this sex trafficking ring and the abuse of women and girls.”
Garcia added, “It’s incredibly important for us to be very careful to redact information that could put survivors and victims in any sort of danger. But we’re grateful to the banks for getting us information, and we’re reviewing them right now as we speak.”
Photos and videos shared by House Oversight Democrats depict empty courtyards, a bedroom and other interior rooms of his villa.
The photos also show a space with a chair resembling one used in dental offices, with decorative masks hanging on the wall. One picture shows what appears to be a study, where a chalkboard says words like “power,” “deception,” “plots” and “political.”
“These are just disturbing images and never-seen-before images of what Jeffrey’s island and the estate actually look like. You see some of — the dentist chair and the weird masks. You obviously are seeing some video of some of the bedrooms and areas where so many of these horrific crimes happened,” Garcia told MS NOW.
James O’Keefe, founder of Project Veritas, said on X, “Actually @OKeefeMedia broke these photos in May.”
The House Oversight Committee reposted O’Keefe’s post and accused Democrats of “chasing headlines again.”
What People Are Saying
California Democratic Representative and Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee Robert Garcia, during an appearance on MS NOW’s “Chris Jansing Reports” on Wednesday: “We know that so many girls, in some cases, children and women were raped, were abused in these spaces. And so what’s important for Democrats is, when we get information, we are going to put it out to the public. And I think that the images speak for themselves. It’s so important at this moment that the president and the Department of Justice release the full Epstein files that they are required to do.”
House Oversight Committee, on X: “@OversightDems rushed to release cherry-picked docs provided to the committee, slapped on the phrase ‘never-before-seen,’ and the Legacy Media ran with it as if it were breaking news. They are not serious about this investigation.”
What Happens Next
The Justice Department has until December 19 to release the Epstein files.
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