The Epstein Wall Street Records Act Takes Aim at the Banks (10/16/26)

A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Robert Garcia, with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie also backing the measure, introduced the Epstein Wall Street Records Act, legislation aimed at forcing federal regulators to examine the financial institutions and executives that maintained ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The bill would require agencies including the Federal Reserve and Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate Epstein-connected firms and individuals for possible violations of banking, securities and illicit-finance laws. Regulators would also be required to publicly disclose records relating to Epstein and his associates, refer potential criminal violations to the Justice Department, and could impose fines or even bar executives found responsible from working in the U.S. financial industry.

The legislation arrived alongside renewed scrutiny of former Barclays CEO Jes Staley and the bank's handling of his relationship with Epstein. Warren accused Barclays of “dodging responsibility” after the bank responded to congressional questions by arguing that Staley had concealed the true nature of his relationship with Epstein and that significant information only emerged after his 2021 resignation. Staley had previously worked at JPMorgan, where he developed a close relationship with Epstein, and was ultimately banned from the British financial sector after regulators determined that he had misrepresented that relationship. Warren argued that the Barclays episode demonstrated why voluntary corporate accountability was insufficient and why regulators should be compelled to investigate the broader financial network surrounding Epstein and the executives who helped keep him connected to the banking system.



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US lawmakers unveil bill to hold Wall Street’s ‘Epstein-connected’ bosses to account | Banking | The Guardian