The House Oversight Committee is scheduled to interview Jes Staley, the former private investment banker for Jeffrey Epstein at JPMorgan Chase, on Thursday. Staley's interview is part of the committee's broader investigation into how federal agencies handled the criminal probes of Epstein.
Staley, 69, worked at JPMorgan Chase for over three decades, holding senior positions in its private banking and investment divisions, where he was responsible for relationships with high-net-worth clients, including Epstein. Following his departure from JPMorgan Chase, Staley became the CEO of Barclays, a British multinational bank, in 2015.
He agreed to a voluntary transcribed interview after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer requested his appearance. The interview will not be recorded.
Following Epstein's arrest and subsequent death in 2019, Staley faced scrutiny in a lawsuit filed by Epstein's victims. These victims alleged that JPMorgan Chase and Staley had ignored warning signs that facilitated Epstein's trafficking of women and girls. JPMorgan Chase settled this lawsuit in 2023 for $290 million, without admitting any wrongdoing.
Barclays executives informed U.K. financial regulators after Epstein's death that Staley and Epstein did not have a close relationship and that Staley had ceased contact prior to his joining Barclays. However, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) later determined, partly based on evidence from the victims' lawsuit, that Staley had provided misleading information regarding the extent and timing of his relationship with Epstein.
Staley resigned from Barclays in 2021 and was subsequently banned by the FCA from working in the British financial sector. He lost his appeal of the FCA's decision. During the appeal process last year, Staley acknowledged a consensual sexual encounter with one of Epstein's adult assistants at an apartment building owned by Epstein's brother in New York City. He also confirmed visiting Epstein's private estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands, though not during Epstein's presence.
Records released by the Department of Justice earlier this year, in response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, include unproven allegations of wrongdoing by Staley, detailed in a 2019 internal prosecution memo. It remains unclear if federal prosecutors pursued these allegations. The Department of Justice has stated that there are no credible allegations or evidence warranting new federal criminal investigations.
Staley has denied all wrongdoing and stated he was unaware of Epstein's criminal activities. An attorney representing Staley in the civil lawsuit described the claims that Staley aided and abetted Epstein as "baseless."