Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was implicated in a cover-up, lawmakers concluded on Thursday as a member of Jeffrey Epstein's circle evaded questions from a House committee.
Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of its investigation into the late convicted sex offender Epstein. The session was voluntary — Staley was not under oath — and Democrats said that alone told the story.
Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) said Staley "stood at the center of Jeffrey Epstein's inner circle" and immediately turned the hearing into a fight over Blanche's pending Senate confirmation as attorney general.
"The wealth, the power, and the privilege that individuals like Jeffrey Epstein and Jes Staley enjoyed have shielded them from accountability," Walkinshaw said.
Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April, NPR reported. His Senate confirmation for the permanent post remains uncertain, with Democrats unified in opposition.
Walkinshaw said Blanche had the power to reopen the Department of Justice's investigation into Epstein and pursue individuals like Staley, who face what the congressman called "credible accusations of rape and sexual abuse" — but "refuses to do it."
"Any member of the United States Senate who votes to confirm Todd Blanche is complicit in the cover-up of the Epstein files," Walkinshaw said.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) echoed that charge, calling the voluntary format a deliberate shield.
"This is a failure by the majority to conduct a real investigation under oath," Stansbury said.
Lawmakers said Staley claimed inside the hearing room that he could not remember the details of his sexual encounters with women connected to Epstein.
"He could not recall," Stansbury said. "Over and over again, he could not recall."
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) described an email exchange in which Staley told Epstein he needed something while in London. Shortly after, she said, a woman received an email from Epstein containing the address of Staley's hotel room.
"There are clear fact patterns here that Mr. Staley is conveniently not recalling," Ansari said, "because he is not under oath, because he is not compelled to answer, because of the agreement that he has with the Republicans."
Staley first met Epstein in 2000, when he ran JPMorgan Chase's private bank and Epstein was a client, according to Reuters. He later became CEO of Barclays, but resigned in 2021 after U.K. regulators launched a probe. Last year, a British court upheld a ban barring him from the U.K. financial industry, ruling he had misled investigators about ties regulators found went "beyond professional."
"I don't know how else to feel besides disgusted — by both humanity and what we are calling a justice system, led by Todd Blanche, who is engaging in this cover-up," Ansari said.