Krishnamoorthi, Warren, Khanna Press Barclays Over Former CEO Jes Staley's Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

WASHINGTON - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, today sent a letter to Barclays Group Chairman Nigel Higgins seeking answers about Barclays' handling of former CEO Jes Staley's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the bank's response after evidence emerged that Staley had misrepresented the nature of that relationship to regulators.

"As has now been extensively reported, however, Staley and Epstein maintained a close professional and personal relationship for nearly two decades, including during his tenure at Barclays. It is deeply unclear how Barclays, in supposedly investigating Staley's connection to Epstein, failed to uncover this decades-long relationship."

In October 2019, Barclays informed U.K. financial regulators that Staley had confirmed he "did not have a close relationship" with Epstein. As the lawmakers note, subsequent reporting has shown that Staley and Epstein maintained a close professional and personal relationship spanning nearly two decades, including during Staley's tenure at Barclays. The letter also details that Staley defended Epstein while serving as a senior executive at JPMorgan, remained in close contact with him after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a child, exchanged more than 1,200 messages with him, visited Epstein's private island, maintained contact after becoming Barclays' CEO, and that Epstein reportedly sought to help Staley secure the bank's top job.

"Barclays' apparent failure to meaningfully investigate or address Staley's relationship with Epstein raises significant governance questions regarding the bank's ability to hold senior executives accountable for wrongdoing."

Barclays maintains extensive U.S. banking operations, making the firm's corporate governance and oversight of senior executives matters of significant interest to U.S. regulators and Congress.

The lawmakers are seeking information about Barclays' due diligence before hiring Staley, its internal investigation into his ties to Epstein, its communications with regulators, the circumstances surrounding Staley's resignation and compensation, and any contacts with U.S. banking regulators following the release of additional Epstein-related documents. The lawmakers requested responses by August 5, 2026.

The full letter is available here.