House Oversight Grills Epstein Accountant Richard Kahn, Who Says He Was Not Aware of Abuse Until After Epstein’s Death
Richard Kahn, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accountant and co‑executor of his estate, told the House Oversight Committee he was “not aware of the nature or extent of Epstein’s abuse until after Epstein’s death” and said he would have quit had he known. Kahn testified he tracked Epstein’s spending—including payments to women and reimbursements he did not view as red flags—and Chairman James Comer said Kahn identified major payers (Les Wexner, Leon Black, Glenn Dubin, Steven Sinofsky and the Rothschilds) and denied seeing transactions to Donald Trump, while Democrats said Kahn admitted to facilitating a fake marriage and impersonating Epstein in bank communications and the committee noted ties to former Israeli PM Ehud Barak and an undisclosed settlement with an accuser who had also referenced Trump.
📌 Key Facts
- Richard Kahn, Epstein’s longtime accountant and co‑executor, told the House Oversight Committee in a prepared opening statement that he was “not aware of the nature or extent of Epstein’s abuse until after Epstein’s death,” said he would have quit if he had known, continues to deny wrongdoing, and reporters obtained his statement ahead of a closed‑door deposition.
- Kahn said he tracked Epstein’s spending — including gifts to women and men, reimbursements described as for “girls,” and tuition payments he vouched for — but characterized such payments as a very small fraction of Epstein’s expenses and said he did not view them as red flags for abuse or trafficking; he also testified he believed Epstein earned money as a tax adviser/financial planner.
- Kahn testified he did not set up Epstein’s roughly 64 affiliated entities and did not view the use of LLCs as improper given his experience with wealthy “family offices”; Oversight Chair James Comer said the committee has reviewed more than 40,000 documents subpoenaed from JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank showing Epstein was connected to at least 64 business entities.
- Kahn identified five main clients who paid Epstein — Les Wexner, Leon Black, Steven Sinofsky, Glenn Dubin and the Rothschild family — and said he had never seen any transactions to President Donald Trump or his family; Comer noted none of those individuals have been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein by the committee.
- Kahn acknowledged financial ties between Epstein and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak; Barak has denied wrongdoing and expressed regret about the friendship.
- Under questioning, Kahn admitted to facilitating a fake marriage between two women and to impersonating Epstein in communications with banks (as described by Rep. Robert Garcia); Democrats and some Republicans on the committee criticized Kahn’s role in managing Epstein’s finances and questioned his claimed inability to recall details of certain transactions, with Rep. James Walkinshaw saying the trafficking operation would not have been possible without someone managing and authorizing payments.
- The House Oversight Committee has sought depositions from former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (asked to appear within 30 days; the committee previously voted to subpoena her but a subpoena has not been issued) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (asked to appear in about 10 days), while some Republicans expressed disappointment with Bondi and concerns remain about the completeness of documents released under the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act.
📊 Relevant Data
Bank of New York Mellon processed approximately $378 million in transfers related to Jeffrey Epstein's financial operations, which are under scrutiny for potentially enabling his activities.
BNY's $378 Million of Epstein Transfers Draws Wyden's Focus — Bloomberg
Jeffrey Epstein lured victims into his sex trafficking network by promising them university scholarships, modeling contracts, and other opportunities for advancement.
In the Epstein files, there is evidence of a preference for 'short, little, white girls' for personal abuse, while the broader trafficking network approached Black women differently, contributing to disparities in media attention and victim recognition.
Epstein files: trafficking too often ignore Black women — The Canary
Many victims in Jeffrey Epstein's network came from socioeconomically vulnerable backgrounds, including those experiencing family instability, poverty, and limited access to education, making them susceptible to exploitation.
Exposing the Systemic Vulnerabilities Behind Exploitation — NoMI Network
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 12, 2026
12:43 AM
House Oversight Committee demands depositions from Bondi and Lutnick in Epstein probe
New information:
- House Oversight Committee has formally asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to appear for a deposition within 30 days in its Epstein investigation.
- The committee wants Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to appear for a deposition within about 10 days.
- The committee voted to subpoena Bondi last week, but Chairman James Comer has not yet actually issued the subpoena.
- Republican sources express disappointment with Bondi, and at least one GOP lawmaker suggests the Senate may begin its own digging if Lutnick and Bondi do not provide more information.
- The article notes ongoing concerns that Bondi may not be doing everything she can to release Epstein documentation required under the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act, despite thousands of documents already released.
March 11, 2026
11:51 PM
Epstein's longtime accountant testifies he was 'not aware' of sex offender's crimes
New information:
- Richard Kahn, Epstein’s longtime accountant and estate co‑executor, told the House Oversight Committee under oath that he was “not aware” of Epstein’s abuse or trafficking while Epstein was alive and says he regrets any role in assisting him.
- Ranking Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia says Kahn admitted to facilitating a fake marriage between two women, impersonating Epstein in communications with banks, and confirmed that Epstein “spoke about Donald Trump a lot,” while calling the White House response a “cover-up.”
- Chair Rep. James Comer says Kahn identified five main clients who paid Epstein—Les Wexner, Leon Black, Steven Sinofsky, Glenn Dubin, and the Rothschild family—and testified he had “never seen any type of transaction to President Donald Trump or anyone in his family,” which Comer says makes five witnesses who have so testified.
- Kahn’s opening statement, cited by NPR, says gifts to women or men were a “very small fraction” of Epstein’s spending and that he did not view such payments as red flags, even though he managed reimbursements described as for “girls” and vouched for flagged tuition payments.
10:45 PM
News Wrap: Tornadoes kill at least 2 in Indiana
New information:
- PBS reports Kahn’s prepared opening remarks to House Oversight, in which he states he was 'not aware of the nature or extent of Epstein’s abuse until after his death,' tightening the timeline of when he says he learned of the abuse.
- The segment notes that Kahn remains an executor of Epstein’s estate and continues to deny any wrongdoing, which reinforces his ongoing role and legal posture.
- PBS locates the development 'today' in Washington and clarifies that reporters obtained his opening statement ahead of the closed‑door deposition, confirming a fresh round of congressional questioning.
8:33 PM
Epstein's longtime accountant testifies on his wealth and business ties
New information:
- Chair James Comer says Kahn confirmed Epstein received significant money from Les Wexner, Glenn Dubin, Steven Sinofsky, Leon Black and the Rothschild banking family, while emphasizing none have been accused of wrongdoing in their Epstein ties.
- Rep. Suhas Subramanyam says Kahn told lawmakers Epstein had financial ties to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who has denied wrongdoing and expressed regret over the friendship.
- Comer states that the committee has reviewed more than 40,000 documents subpoenaed from JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank and that Epstein was connected to at least 64 business entities.
- Kahn reiterated under questioning that he did not personally see evidence of Epstein’s sexual abuse and said he believed Epstein made his money as a tax adviser and financial planner.
- Rep. James Walkinshaw contends Epstein’s sex‑trafficking operation would not have been possible without Kahn managing the money and authorizing payments, including to victims and survivors, and criticized Kahn’s claimed inability to recall details of some transactions.
8:03 PM
Epstein's longtime accountant tells Congress he didn't know about abuse
New information:
- Richard Kahn’s prepared opening statement says he 'was not aware of the nature or extent of Epstein's abuse of so many women until after Epstein's death' and that he would have quit immediately had he known.
- Kahn tells the committee that, while he tracked Epstein’s spending including gifts to women and men, he did not see those expenditures as red flags for abuse or trafficking at the time.
- Rep. Suhas Subramanyam says Kahn testified that Epstein’s estate reached a settlement with a person who had also made accusations related to President Trump, though details of that settlement and the accuser were not disclosed.
- Subramanyam clarifies that the 'another head of state' he mentioned as having financial transactions with Epstein was former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, whose ties were already publicly known.
- Kahn says he had no role in setting up Epstein’s network of roughly 64 affiliated entities and did not view their use of LLCs as improper or suspicious based on his experience with wealthy 'family offices.'