Rep. Jamie Raskin launches probe into Jeffrey Epstein's alleged foreign lobbying for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia and Israel
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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jamie Raskin announced a congressional investigation into whether Jeffrey Epstein acted as an unregistered foreign agent for several governments during the first Trump administration.
Representative Jamie Raskin, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said he has opened an inquiry into whether the late financier Jeffrey Epstein worked on behalf of foreign governments to influence President Donald Trump’s policies during his first term. In a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Raskin cited committee-received documents that he described as showing "substantial evidence" of Epstein’s involvement with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
"Jeffrey Epstein never registered as a foreign agent," Raskin said. "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, in order to influence policies of the first Trump administration."
The inquiry focuses on a November 2016 trip to Riyadh in which Epstein reportedly met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and offered to serve as a "financial confidant" for the Saudi government. Emails also suggest Epstein boasted about contacts with Trump Tower and offered advice to the Kuwaiti emir on communicating with the president ahead of a 2017 Gulf summit.
Raskin highlighted leaked correspondence indicating Epstein helped Barak establish a back-channel with the Russian government and sought a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in 2013, aiming to shift Russian policy on Syria. Additional emails show Epstein providing information to Barak about U.S. officials as part of efforts to pressure the Obama administration on Iran and Syria.
The committee’s review also includes messages in which Epstein allegedly advised former Trump strategist Steve Bannon on how to avoid filing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Raskin argued that Epstein’s self-described leverage over the president and his contacts with foreign officials could represent a national-security risk, and he called for the timely release of related files that the administration has reportedly delayed.