Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley is sitting for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to high-profile figures.
Staley’s name appears thousands of times in the millions of Epstein-related documents released by the Justice Department over the last year.The New York Times reported that Staley, then head of JPMorgan Chase’s private banking division, appeared to quash internal flags about Epstein’s transactions, such as large cash withdrawals and wire transfers. Staley and Epstein reportedly exchanged over 1,000 emails, in which Staley called his friendship with him “profound” and Epstein referred to the bank executive as “family.”
“We know that while Mr. Staley was at at J.P. Morgan, there was internal discussions, according to some of the documents that we received, that J.P. Morgan was concerned about Epstein as a client, that he was a high-risk client, but Jeff Staley was the one person who continued to defend Epstein with that firm,” House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters shortly before Staley’s interview.
Staley was first introduced to Epstein around 2000, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in 2022 by an anonymous Epstein victim identified as Jane Doe against JP Morgan in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. (JP Morgan ultimately settled the lawsuit.) Staley has denied any wrongdoing and said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
“He’s claiming first that he had no real friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. I mean that is just ridiculous,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters during a break in the interview on Thursday. “There is documented evidence, including in the Epstein files and numerous emails of a decades-long friendship. And not just a friendship – references of being best friends, of close friends.”
Another Democratic committee member, Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, called Staley a “pathological liar,” saying “it has been really jaw-dropping to see how the men who have come before us, and in some cases, the women who have come before us, continue to lie so brazenly. I think it demonstrates that they are very much accustomed to the fact that they have gotten away with this.”
Documents released by the DOJ also revealed that another woman who accused Epstein of ongoing sexual abuse also said she was sexually assaulted by Staley in either 2011 or 2012 at Epstein’s New York mansion. Staley, who has not been charged, has denied the allegation.
Staley resigned as CEO of Barclays in 2021 amid ongoing investigations by authorities in the United Kingdom. The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority banned Staley in 2023 from holding senior management roles in the financial services industry.
In a letter sent on Wednesday to Barclays Chair Nigel Higgins, three congressional Democrats demanded answers for why Staley’s relationship with Epstein was not fully investigated.
“Barclays’ apparent failure to meaningfully investigate or address Staley’s relationship with Epstein raises significant governance questions regarding the bank’s ability to hold senior executives accountable for wrongdoing,” stated the letter, which was signed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi, two members of the Oversight Committee.
Staley is one of several high-profile individuals to testify about Epstein before the committee, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, billionaires Bill Gates and Les Wexner and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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