In a move that could reopen one of America’s most disturbing scandals, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon has drafted legislation aimed at forcing the Trump administration to release financial records related to Jeffrey Epstein. The late financier, long accused of running an extensive sex-trafficking network, left behind a trail of financial transactions totaling more than $1.5 billion. Many of these records, currently in the possession of the US Treasury Department, remain sealed from congressional investigators despite repeated demands for transparency.

Wyden, a Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, unveiled the legislation after months of frustration with what he describes as stonewalling by Treasury officials. His draft law would compel Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to disclose not only the financial transactions themselves but also the names of women and girls who may have been trafficked by Epstein, along with individuals and institutions who enabled him.

“From the beginning, my view has been that following the money is the key to identifying Epstein’s clients as well as the henchmen and banks that enabled his sex trafficking network,” Wyden said in a statement. “The Treasury Department has these records, and withholding them only protects those who profited from or participated in his crimes.”

The Treasury Department’s files reportedly contain Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) filed by banks, documenting transactions that raised red flags under anti-money laundering laws. According to Wyden’s office, the documents detail Epstein’s wire transfers involving more than $1.5 billion, some of which name women and girls believed to be trafficking victims. The records also include the identities of individuals whose ties to Epstein could expose them to blackmail or reveal possible foreign corruption schemes.

Despite the significance of these documents, the US Treasury has refused to release them to Congress. While Wyden’s staff under the Biden administration was able to review some records in person, no full disclosure has yet........

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