Ex-JPMorgan Executive Told Congress He Shared Bank Secrets With Epstein

Former JPMorgan Chase executive Jes Staley has admitted to U.S. lawmakers that he repeatedly shared confidential and market-sensitive bank information with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to a transcript released by the House Oversight Committee.

Staley, who appeared for a voluntary, closed-door interview in July, told investigators he divulged the bank's communications with the Federal Reserve during the 2008 financial crisis, a figure of $44 billion in private bank inflows over two weeks, his own compensation details, and information about pending deals.

The admissions form part of a broader congressional probe into Epstein's ties with political and business elites. The committee has also interviewed former President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Goldman Sachs senior counsel Kathy Ruemmler.

Staley defended the exchanges, saying he believed he had the authority to share information when he considered it appropriate. He has maintained he had a close professional relationship with Epstein but was unaware of his crimes. He also testified that he told Epstein the bank had designated him a high-risk client due to concerns over large cash withdrawals.

Separately, Staley confirmed he was appointed to a role connected to Epstein's estate years after Epstein's 2008 conviction. He said he signed trust documents in 2014 and a trust amendment in 2015 but later declined to serve because he did not want to be associated with the estate and received no compensation.

Staley spent more than three decades at JPMorgan, where he ran the private bank and asset-management business for which Epstein was a client, before leading Barclays from 2015 until his resignation in 2021. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

JPMorgan declined to comment. Staley's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.