Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee released a staff report on Monday, October 26, 2026, requesting the appointment of a special counsel to investigate President Donald Trump’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The report alleges that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has improperly managed investigations into Epstein’s associates and withheld evidence that may implicate the president.
The request follows the release of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and recent committee staff interviews. Earlier this year, in February 2026, former Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the committee that no evidence existed of criminal activity by Donald Trump. However, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) stated on Monday that new evidence from 11 women suggests a more extensive relationship between Trump and Epstein than previously acknowledged.
The 2026 report details accounts from five women who directly accused Trump of sexual assault or rape in the presence of Epstein, primarily during the 1990s. The findings include allegations from Beatrice Keul, who told staff she was assaulted at the Plaza Hotel in 1993, and Stacey Williams, who stated Epstein was present during an incident at Trump Tower. The report also alleges that current Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal attorney, intervened during a July 2025 prison interview to prevent Ghislaine Maxwell from discussing a survivor whose account involved the president.
The scale of the reported connections involves at least 11 women and flight records indicating Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet at least eight times during the 1990s, a figure that contradicts the president's 2024 claim that he was never on the plane. For the individuals named in the report as survivors, a special counsel would represent a formal shift in how the DOJ handles their specific allegations, moving the cases from internal department review to an independent prosecutor. The report also calls for the DOJ to provide full support to state and foreign prosecutors who are seeking evidence from American files for their own investigations.
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis stated on October 26 that the allegations in the report are not true and characterized the document as a political distraction. She noted that Trump had previously expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, though the Democratic report cites a redacted 2009 conversation where Trump allegedly stated Epstein was never asked to leave. The next steps depend on the DOJ's response to the special counsel request; meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee in November 2026.