An accountant and an attorney for Jeffrey Epstein told the House Oversight Committee that government investigators never interviewed them about the late sex offender and the work they did for him, according to videos of their depositions released Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The panel questioned Richard Kahn, Epstein\u2019s accountant, and Darren Indyke, Epstein\u2019s lawyer, behind closed doors this month as part of its investigation into Epstein. Both maintained they did not witness any wrongdoing, and authorities have accused neither of misdeeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kahn\u2019s and Indyke\u2019s testimony that federal investigators never interviewed them raises questions about the depth of the Justice Department\u2019s review of Epstein, which the Justice Department and the FBI called \u201cexhaustive\u201d in an unsigned joint memo in July announcing that the government would not disclose additional materials on the disgraced financier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night on Kahn\u2019s and Indyke\u2019s testimony, nor did it respond to questions about why federal investigators never interviewed two people who worked for him for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lawyer for Kahn and Indyke did not immediately provide additional information about their testimony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Justice Department has released more than 3 million files \u2014 most of which are heavily redacted \u2014 while holding almost as many back, citing victim protection, child sexual abuse depiction, depiction of violence, duplication, attorney-client privilege and other reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Justice Department was subsequently compelled to disclose all of its files on Epstein after the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act passed following conservative backlash to the Trump administration\u2019s handling of the files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Justice Department was first involved with investigating Epstein nearly 20 years ago before federal prosecutors oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution deal with him. He was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died in his jail cell as he awaited trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kahn said in his deposition that he has \u201cnever been questioned by any government authority\u201d but that he received grand jury subpoena requests from the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands Justice Department asking for Epstein\u2019s will and 1953 trust. He also said the estate received a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee. Indyke added that he gave two other depositions before this month, in two cases linked to Epstein\u2019s estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked whether any law enforcement agency had ever contacted him about Epstein or co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, Indyke told the House panel, \u201cI don\u2019t think I was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When he was subsequently asked whether he was surprised that he had not been questioned by law enforcement, Indyke said no, \u201cgiven my role in \u2014 in my role as a transactional attorney for Mr. Epstein.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kahn and Indyke were also asked whether they considered leaving their employment with Epstein after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor. Kahn said he did consider it, \u201cwithout a doubt,\u201d but ultimately decided to stay because \u201cwe were in the middle of a financial crisis, and I had a family to support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kahn said he believed Epstein when Epstein told him that \u201cthis would never happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indyke said he did not consider quitting his job, adding that he \u201cdrank the Kool-Aid at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n