Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, requested an investigation by the Department of Justice Inspector General into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) failure to investigate Jeffrey Epstein after records revealed that Maria Farmer, an Epstein survivor, warned the FBI in 1996 that Epstein and his associates were sexually abusing minors and producing child sexual abuse material. Farmer’s official complaint to the FBI was recently made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“The American public should be outraged that the FBI had information about the horrific crimes Jeffrey Epstein was committing in the 1990s, and yet failed to protect women and children for decades. We are fighting to end the Epstein cover up for survivors like Maria Farmer, who was failed by her own government over and over. We will not stop until we have transparency for the survivors and the American people,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.
In the letter, Ranking Member Garcia wrote, “Oversight Democrats are investigating Jeffrey Epstein; his enablers, network and accomplices; and the numerous failures by the United States government that denied justice to survivors. Recent disclosures made under the Epstein Files Transparency Act have underscored the depth of these failures. Records prove that Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes were first reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1996, nearly a decade before Palm Beach police opened the investigation that resulted in Epstein’s first indictment. As we continue our inquiry, we request that the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) investigate the FBI’s failure in the 1990s to adequately respond to or investigate allegations of misconduct by Jeffrey Epstein, including his alleged possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and to examine why subsequent internal Department reviews failed to meaningfully address that failure.”
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