Dem Orders Congressional Probe Into Epstein and Peter Thiel’s Relationship

A bill introduced Wednesday calls for a congressional investigation into the financial ties between Peter Thiel, a major donor to the Make America Great Again movement, and Jeffrey Epstein.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon has demanded that the Treasury turn over documents relating to the sex trafficker’s finances. The New York Times revealed in June that it included a $40 million investment in a company backed by Thiel.

Those investments in Valar Ventures, in 2015 and 2016, totaled nearly $170 million and are believed to be the largest assets in Epstein’s estate. Wyden now wants to take a closer look at how—and why—the alleged $1.5 billion was transferred between Thiel, Epstein, and 70 other “conspirators.”

Wyden, 76, a ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said such legislation was necessary because Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has refused to grant the committee’s requests for access to Epstein-related financial records in his possession.

“The fundamental question is whether a group of wealthy pedophiles and Epstein associates will face consequences for their crimes, and Scott Bessent is doing his best to ensure that,” he said. “My head nearly exploded when I heard Bessent say that investigating Epstein’s bank records was not within his purview.”

Wyden said he has long believed that “following the money is the key to identifying Epstein’s clients, as well as his associates and the banks that fueled his sex trafficking network.”

He added in his statement Wednesday: “It’s time for Bessent to stop interfering in the affairs of pedophiles and provide us with the Epstein files he holds.”

In addition to the investigation into Palantir CEO Thiel, Wyden said he hopes the congressional inquiry will reveal whether JPMorgan and other banks violated federal anti-money laundering laws. A representative for Thiel, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at $25 billion, did not respond to a request for comment. The 57-year-old has not publicly discussed his company’s financial ties to Epstein.

Wyden’s bill is called the “Publication of Epstein Treasury Records Act” (PETRA). The Beltway newspaper reported that Wyden had linked his bill to the National Defense Authorization Act, which requires all senators to disclose information about Epstein’s associates, whether they support or oppose it.

The Epstein investigation has been largely impartial, with the Make America Great Again movement among the most skeptical that the convicted financier committed suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. President Donald Trump used the release of the “Epstein Files” as a campaign tool but has since completely reversed his position on the matter.

Trump, 79, is now calling for public closure on the Epstein affair, but the case—and their former friendship, allegedly embellished with poems and handwritten sketches—is growing richer by the day.

Republicans hold a three-seat majority in the Senate, meaning Wyden’s bill would require some Republican lawmakers to cross party lines to pass. Bessent, a Trump appointee, has not signaled his intention to provide the committee with offshore documents, and last month he said the Treasury Department lacked the authority to investigate. In the same speech, he said he might be prompted to investigate Wyden.

“Any law enforcement officer who wants to see the documents, we keep them,” Bessent said. “Our role is not to investigate. We collect them. It’s as if, when we pay, the Treasury Department or the Commerce Department asks us to pay. We pay.” Senator Wyden is rich… His stock price is better than Paul Pelosi’s. His stock rose 125%, then 75%. So I’m not going to reveal anything because I’ve never seen him before, but I believe there’s some news regarding Senator Wyden.