Richard Kahn, an accountant who served as a longtime financial manager to Jeffrey Epstein and now co-executes his estate, told House investigators that the estate reached a settlement with a woman who had also made accusations related to President Donald Trump, according to a report from CBS News, citing Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna.
Khanna told CBS News about the settlement after the closed-door interview on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Representative James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, separately told reporters that Kahn said he had “never seen any type of transaction to Trump or anyone in his family,” offering a contrasting detail to the Democratic member’s account of the accuser-related settlement, according to the report.
Attorneys for Kahn and lawyer-co-executor Darren Indyke have repeatedly said their clients neither committed abuse nor knowingly facilitated Epstein’s crimes.
Why it Matters
The disclosure, relayed by a committee Democrat following Kahn’s deposition, added a new data point to Congress’s high-profile examination of Epstein’s network, finances and posthumous victim compensation. It came as the panel has sought testimony from Epstein associates and estate officials about payments, settlements and any links to prominent figures.
Epstein’s estate has already paid out well over $100 million to survivors through a victim compensation program and more recent settlements, underscoring the breadth of claims and the estate’s ongoing liabilities. In February, the estate and its co-executors agreed to pay up to $35 million to resolve outstanding class claims by victims who had not previously settled, Bloomberg reported.
What To Know
Kahn, Epstein’s longtime accountant and now co-executor of the estate, appeared under subpoena for a deposition with the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. In prepared remarks provided to CBS News, Kahn said he “was not aware of the nature or extent of Epstein’s abuse of so many women until after Epstein’s death,” adding, “Had I learned of any of his horrific behavior, I would have quit work immediately.”
After a break in the interview, Democratic Representative Suhas Subramanyam said Kahn told the committee that the Epstein estate had reached a settlement with a person who had also made accusations related to President Trump, CBS News reported.
Committee Chair James Comer later told reporters that Kahn “had never seen any type of transaction to Trump or anyone in his family,” and that Kahn had identified five clients who paid money to Epstein. Comer also said Kahn had answered all questions so far, according to the report.
In prepared remarks, Kahn said Epstein had “substantial yearly expenditures,” and that while he tracked gifts Epstein made to women and men, he “did not see them as red flags for abuse or trafficking.” He added: “I did not see anything that suggested to me that Epstein was abusing or trafficking women or otherwise acting unlawfully,” CBS News reported.
The estate’s victim compensation fund said it distributed approximately $125 million before winding down in 2021, according to reporting on the fund’s administrator and court filings cited by CNN.
What People Are Saying
Richard Kahn, co-executor of the Epstein estate, in prepared opening statement provided to CBS News on Wednesday: “I was not aware of the nature or extent of Epstein’s abuse of so many women until after Epstein’s death. Had I learned of any of his horrific behavior, I would have quit work immediately.”
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., House Oversight chair, to reporters during Kahn’s deposition Wednesday, as reported by CBS News: “He confirmed there were five clients that paid money to Epstein… We’ve already deposed Wexner and we’re going to be deposing Leon Black very soon.”
Daniel Weiner, attorney for Darren Indyke, said in a statement to CBS News Wednesday: “It is worth emphasizing that not a single woman has ever accused either Mr. Indyke or Mr. Kahn of committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse… they have always rejected as categorically false any suggestion that they knowingly facilitated or assisted Mr. Epstein in his sexual abuse or trafficking of women.”
What Happens Next
Indyke, the other co-executor of Epstein’s estate, is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on March 19. The committee has also pursued additional depositions, including that of financier Leon Black, CBS News reported.
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