Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released a report Tuesday morning wrapping up their 15-month investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and how the federal government handled the criminal case against him.

Among their findings: President Donald Trump was not implicated in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation; Epstein’s abuse of young women and girls continued for years because of repeated failures from law enforcement and federal prosecutors; and the Justice Department failed to “adequately communicate” around the public release of the so-called Epstein files.

“Epstein operated with impunity, shielded and enabled by powerful connections and a justice system that repeatedly failed his victims,” Oversight Chair James Comer of Kentucky, who will step down as the top Republican on the panel in January due to GOP Conference term limit rules, said in a statement. “Governments at every level and powerful institutions must meet their legal obligations to identify these crimes, stop perpetrators, and deliver justice for survivors.”

The 136-page report notes that the “the Committee’s investigation was prompted by the decades-long failures of individuals and institutions charged with protecting vulnerable survivors and holding powerful offenders accountable” — though it was actually compelled to launch an inquiry after Oversight Committee members voted in July 2025 to force the panel to subpoena Epstein documents DOJ was at that point continuing to withhold.

From there, the committee went on to interview some of the most powerful individuals within Epstein’s business, financial or social orbit, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Leon Black and Les Wexner. Members also had a chance to question Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and ex-Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The findings of Comer’s report takes some aim at the Justice Department, which oversaw a haphazard release of the Epstein files last year in compliance with a law Congress passed in November 2025. It recommends DOJ establish a proper process for Epstein survivors to access their personal files without redactions, and that the agency work to ensure that federal investigators interview or reinterview key witnesses of those harmed by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator now serving a 20 year federal prison sentence.

DOJ also needs to ensure there is rigorous enforcement of policies in place to prevent conflicts of interest in investigations and prosecutions. Separately, the Treasury Department and its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network must review whether financial institutions are meeting their reporting requirements to prevent suspicious activities like human trafficking, which Epstein was able to finance through his business ties.

Spokespeople for the Justice and Treasury Departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Democrats, who plan to continue the investigation in the new Congress, have been deeply critical of the GOP-led inquiry — including accusing Comer of not demanding more witnesses be compelled to testify under oath and on camera. They also have already released materials to more tightly tie Trump to Epstein’s crimes, with calls for a special counsel to be appointed to investigate that potential link.

Comer’s report lays out as one key finding that “Oversight Democrats concentrated their investigative efforts on President Trump rather than the broader, decades long institutional failures that enabled Epstein’s abuse and robbed survivors of swift justice.”

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein’s actions and has repeatedly said he and Epstein had a falling out years ago and that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago “for being a creep.”

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the leading Democrat on the Oversight Committee, in a statement slammed the report as “based on an incomplete investigation and zero public hearings on Jeffrey Epstein.”

“We will not allow the President and his allies to dismiss this investigation,” Garcia said. “We intend to hold real public hearings uplifting survivors and asking tough questions of the powerful men who associated with Epstein, including Donald Trump. Our work is just getting started.”