Jes Staley testifies to House Oversight on Epstein ties

Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley appeared for a closed-door interview before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, July 23, 2026, as part of the panel's ongoing investigation into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The session focused on the nature and extent of Staley's long-standing relationship with Epstein, a topic that has ended his banking career and triggered multiple lawsuits.

During the interview, Staley maintained he had cut off contact with Epstein after becoming Barclays CEO in 2015, according to a source familiar with the proceedings. He also denied having an encounter with a woman dressed as Snow White, a claim that has circulated in connection with emails released by the Department of Justice. The source said Staley did acknowledge a consensual sexual relationship with one of Epstein's assistants at the financier's New York apartment. He also confirmed visiting Epstein while Epstein was serving a prison sentence in Florida in 2008 for soliciting sex from a minor.

The questioning centered on emails exchanged between Staley and Epstein while Staley was a senior executive at JPMorgan Chase, where Epstein was a client for 15 years....