Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, demands that the federal government provide all records concerning Jeffrey Epstein's contacts with foreign governments. The demand is part of a new investigation expected to examine whether the convicted sex offender acted as an unregistered foreign agent in an attempt to influence the first Trump administration's policies.
In a formal letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Jay Clayton, the nominee for director of national intelligence and US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Raskin said there was "substantial evidentiary support" for allegations concerning Epstein's activities.
According to Raskin, the documents show that Epstein offered to serve as an intermediary between Saudi Arabia and the administration, consulted Russian officials regarding contacts with the president, and advised former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the Kuwaiti government. "Epstein never registered as a foreign agent," Raskin wrote. "Yet numerous recently released documents now show he acted aggressively on behalf of multiple foreign governments, including several with interests adverse to the United States."
US law does not prohibit lobbying on behalf of a foreign country, but the Foreign Agents Registration Act requires those acting on behalf of foreign interests to register with the Justice Department. Epstein did not do so.
The House of Representatives is currently controlled by Republicans. Raskin therefore lacks the authority to compel Congress to open a formal investigation, and his demands for access to some 2.5 million documents connected to the affair that have yet to be made public are likely to be ignored.
Although a formal congressional investigation is not expected to begin at this stage, political observers believe Democrats could win a majority in the upcoming midterm elections. Such a victory would allow them to take control of the committee, and launch an official investigation. Under that scenario, Raskin would become committee chairman and gain the authority to issue subpoenas for documents and compel relevant individuals to testify.
Responding to the allegations, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, "As President Trump has said, he has been exonerated on anything relating to Epstein."
The issue continues to generate political controversy. Just last week, Vice President JD Vance acknowledged in an interview that the White House had "absolutely screwed up the comms" surrounding the Epstein files.
