A Republican congressman told a House committee Wednesday that FBI files include the names of at least 20 people suspected of ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, a revelation that intensified scrutiny of how federal authorities handled the long-running investigation.

As per Miami Herald, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told the House Judiciary Committee that witness statements and other evidence in FBI files identify a roster of alleged associates that includes celebrities, financiers, politicians and at least six billionaires. Massie, as per the publication, cited documents he said were used by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

"We know these people exist in the FBI files, the files that you control," Massie said, reading a summary that named a Hollywood producer, a royal prince, a music industry figure, a prominent banker, an owner of an Italian car company, a rock star, a magician, a high-profile government official and a high-profile former politician.

FBI Director Kash Patel pushed back, telling the committee he has "taken no steps to investigate some of the men named in the FBI files" and that "any investigations that arise from any credible investigation will be brought." Patel repeatedly denied the existence of an official "client list" and said he has not seen new evidence warranting fresh probes.

The exchange came days after Patel called the 2008 nonprosecution deal that resolved federal scrutiny of Epstein the case's "original sin." Patel and others have said the agreement — negotiated when Alexander Acosta was U.S. attorney in Miami — restricted later efforts to hold Epstein's associates accountable.

Acosta, who later served as U.S. labor secretary and resigned in 2019 amid criticism over the deal, will testify Friday before the House Oversight Committee in closed session — his first congressional appearance since leaving the Cabinet. He has long defended the handling of the case, saying prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence for more serious federal charges at the time.

A Justice Department review completed in 2020 faulted Acosta for "poor judgment" in negotiating the deal, which granted Epstein immunity from federal prosecution and included broad confidentiality provisions. Those provisions prompted legal debates over whether they barred later prosecutions of associates. A federal judge later found procedural flaws in the agreement but declined to unwind its protections.

The 2008 plea agreement, in which Epstein pleaded to state charges of soliciting prostitution and solicitation of a minor, resulted in an 18‑month jail term and a work-release arrangement that allowed Epstein to leave jail during the day. Epstein continued to face allegations of abuse for years, and in July 2019 he was arrested on new federal sex trafficking charges in New York. He was found dead in his cell a month later; New York City's medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.

The case has prompted multiple investigations and lawsuits and drawn scrutiny to prosecutors' communications with Epstein's high-powered legal team. Media investigations in 2018 and later documented victims' accounts and internal government records that suggested Epstein operated a systematic trafficking network and that some authorities failed to fully pursue options for broader prosecutions.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate, was convicted in 2021 of multiple counts related to sex trafficking and is serving a 20‑year federal prison sentence. She has appealed her conviction, arguing in part that she falls under the scope of the 2008 agreement's protections.

In testimony this month, former Attorney General William Barr rejected theories that Epstein had worked for U.S. intelligence agencies, calling such claims "dubious." Barr said intelligence agencies often speak with well‑connected individuals but saw no evidence Epstein was an asset.

The disclosure by Massie adds pressure on the FBI and the Justice Department to clarify what investigative steps have been taken and whether additional prosecutions of Epstein associates are warranted. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have demanded more transparency about what the files contain and why certain leads were not pursued earlier.

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Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine maxwell