Former JPMorgan Chase wealth executive and ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley has agreed to a Jes Staley Epstein interview with the House Oversight Committee on July 23, the latest in a string of high-profile depositions the panel is conducting into Jeffrey Epstein’s financial network.
| Witness | Scheduled Date |
|---|---|
| Bill Gates | June 10 |
| Leon Black | June 26 |
| Kathryn Ruemmler (Goldman Sachs GC) | July 15 |
| Jes Staley (former Barclays CEO) | July 23 |
Staley ran JPMorgan’s private wealth and asset management divisions during the years Epstein was a major client of those units. The two were personally close. That relationship put Staley at the center of litigation that ultimately cost JPMorgan more than $360 million in settlements.
JPMorgan’s Epstein Ties Ran Deeper Than the Settlements Suggest
The bank’s connection to Epstein did not end when his criminal conduct first became public. JPMorgan continued to count Epstein as a client even after he was arrested and pleaded guilty to sex crimes in Florida in 2008, a fact that became central to victims’ claims that the bank enabled his trafficking operation.
In 2023, JPMorgan agreed to pay $290 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it had facilitated Epstein’s abuse. A federal judge granted class-action status to that case on the same day the settlement was announced, noting the plaintiff count could be “well over 100 people.” A federal judge formally approved the settlement on November 9, 2023, per the New York Times.
That same year, JPMorgan paid an additional $75 million to settle a similar suit brought by the U.S. Virgin Islands government. In neither case did the bank admit wrongdoing.
CEO Jamie Dimon testified in a deposition roughly two weeks before the $290 million deal was announced, saying he had no knowledge of Epstein or his crimes until Epstein’s 2019 arrest. JPMorgan separately reached a confidential settlement with Staley to resolve the bank’s claims that he bore civil responsibility for Epstein-related damages and costs.
The Jes Staley Epstein Interview Joins a Broader Congressional Inquiry
Staley is not the first or last name on the committee’s calendar. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is scheduled to appear June 10. Billionaire Leon Black is reportedly set for June 26. Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathryn Ruemmler is reportedly booked for July 15.
The sequencing matters. Gates, Black, Ruemmler, and Staley each had distinct relationships with Epstein, covering philanthropy, private equity, law, and banking. The committee appears to be building testimony across every major institutional channel through which Epstein operated.
Staley’s July 23 slot puts him last among the currently scheduled witnesses, which could mean committee investigators plan to use earlier testimony to sharpen their questions for him specifically. His dual role, a former senior JPMorgan executive and a personal friend of Epstein, makes his session arguably the most consequential for understanding how Epstein maintained access to elite financial institutions over two decades.
What the Jes Staley Epstein Interview Could Surface
Epstein died in August 2019 in a New York jail, weeks after his arrest on federal child sex trafficking charges. His death closed off the most direct avenue of testimony about his conduct. Congressional interviews of people in his orbit are now one of the few remaining mechanisms for public accountability.
For Staley personally, the stakes are separate from JPMorgan’s. The bank’s confidential settlement with him resolved its internal claims, but it did not immunize him from congressional scrutiny or from any future legal exposure tied to what investigators may uncover. Barclays, where Staley served as CEO until 2021, has its own history of regulatory scrutiny over his Epstein contacts.
The July 23 session will not be public. But any referrals, findings, or transcripts the committee chooses to release afterward could put fresh pressure on financial institutions still managing reputational exposure from the Epstein saga.
Watch whether the committee schedules additional witnesses after Staley’s interview. If it does, the inquiry is expanding. If it does not, July 23 may be the final opportunity for investigators to fill the gaps that two $290 million and $75 million settlements left deliberately unanswered.
