The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has concluded that the United States federal government failed survivors of Jeffrey Epstein for decades, releasing a report on 10 November 2026 that says Epstein's crimes after 2005 could have been prevented if investigators and prosecutors had acted differently. The report follows a 15-month investigation with 19 interviews and depositions, including Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates and Howard Lutnick. ## What the report found The committee found that instead of pursuing a federal indictment, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida entered a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in 2007, allowing him to plead guilty to lesser state charges. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail, received extensive work-release privileges and was released early, while survivors were not told about the agreement. The report also says that after Epstein was arrested in 2019 and died in custody, officers missed at least 12 rounds and three inmate counts on the night of his death, leaving nearly eight hours without adequate supervision. It adds that deficient redactions in releases under the Epstein Files Transparency Act exposed survivors' personal information. ## Recommendations and reaction The report urges the Justice Department to interview or re-interview key witnesses and investigate Epstein associates accused of criminal activity, and to give survivors unredacted access to their own records. It also calls for further investigation of allegations made by Sarah Kellen against former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai. Chairman James Comer said Epstein had "operated with impunity, shielded and enabled by powerful connections and a justice system that repeatedly failed his victims". The report states the evidence does not suggest President Donald Trump was implicated. Democrats called it partisan. [House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform](https://oversight.house.gov/release/house-oversight-committee-releases-report-on-the-federal-governments-mishandling-of-epstein-and-maxwell-criminal-investigations/) [NPR](https://www.wncw.org/2026-11-10/federal-government-failed-to-hold-epstein-accountable-republican-committee-says)