WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime personal attorney, Darren Indyke, testified before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday that he was unaware of the late financier’s sexual abuse of underage girls while representing him, echoing similar claims made by other associates of Epstein in recent depositions.
Indyke, who served as Epstein’s lawyer for approximately two decades, stated in his opening remarks that he “had no knowledge whatsoever” of Epstein’s abuse and would have resigned from his position had he been aware of the trafficking of women and underage girls. His testimony follows similar assertions made under oath by figures including Epstein’s former accountant, Richard Kahn, client Les Wexner, and former President Bill Clinton, according to committee members.
The committee’s Democratic members expressed frustration during a break in Indyke’s deposition, characterizing his responses as defensive. Lawmakers had hoped Indyke and Kahn, as executors of Epstein’s estate, would provide recent details regarding the abuse, but so far, uncovering substantive information from Epstein’s associates has proven difficult. Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
“As with all the other witnesses, they all claim they never had any knowledge before it became public that Mr. Epstein was involved with women, doing anything inappropriately with young women,” said Representative James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee. Comer added that Indyke explained his continued representation of Epstein after the 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor by stating Epstein convinced him it was an isolated incident and that he was remorseful.
Democrats accused Indyke and Kahn of participating in a cover-up. “I think what has turn into crystal clear over the course of these last few depositions is that these people are going to lie to us over and over and over,” said Representative Dave Min, a California Democrat.
Both Indyke and Kahn have consistently denied knowledge of Epstein’s abuse. As executors of his estate, they agreed to a settlement earlier this year in a class-action lawsuit brought by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, potentially totaling up to $35 million, alleging they aided Epstein’s illegal conduct for financial gain. The settlement did not include any admission of wrongdoing.
Democratic lawmakers are pressing for the release of additional documents from Epstein’s estate, specifically those related to a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein abuse survivor, against Epstein’s former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, and other documentation pertaining to Epstein’s businesses. Indyke indicated he is awaiting further direction from the Republican-led committee regarding the provision of these documents.
Comer countered that the committee had already requested those documents from other entities, arguing that obtaining them from Epstein’s estate would yield “overlapping information.”
The committee also questioned Indyke about an uncorroborated accusation made against former President Donald Trump in 2019 during the Epstein investigation. Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, stated that Indyke would not confirm or deny whether the woman who made the accusation had also entered into an agreement with Epstein’s estate.
Following the deposition, Garcia released a statement confirming that Indyke acknowledged the existence of hard drives held by private investigators hired by Epstein. “These hard drives are of great interest to our committee,” Garcia said. “Survivors and victims of Jeffrey Epstein deserve to know the truth. Oversight Democrats will not stop until there’s full transparency about everyone complicit in Epstein’s crimes.”
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Comer asserted that the Democratic focus on Trump was misplaced, stating that the investigation had not produced substantial evidence linking the former president to the case. “They have created a false narrative that Donald Trump’s somehow some type of liability in this,” he said.
The House investigation into Epstein, which initially showed some bipartisan cooperation, has increasingly become a contentious political battle. Democrats staged a walkout during a briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday night, alleging she appeared on Capitol Hill solely to avoid her scheduled deposition on April 14. Comer labeled the incident a “low point in the Epstein investigation” and accused the Democratic lawmakers of acting inappropriately, but stated he still intends to hold the deposition with Bondi, pending a vote among GOP committee members.
Democratic lawmakers are planning to hold a public hearing with survivors of Epstein’s abuse and others with knowledge of his crimes, regardless of Republican participation.
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