Report: Blackburn declined to help subpoena Epstein's bank records

NASHVILLE — A report alleges Tennessee gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., refused to support her Democratic colleague's efforts to subpoena bank records related to Jeffrey Epstein. The Democrat-commissioned report accuses a number of high-profile Wall Street banks of likely violating federal anti-money laundering laws by failing to report Epstein's suspicious financial transactions to federal regulators in a timely manner. The report was commissioned by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who along with Blackburn is a member of the Senate Finance Committee. It alleges Wyden's office, seeking bipartisan aid back in 2024 for an investigation into Epstein's bank records, reached out to Blackburn's office four times over the course of 18 months. According to the report, Blackburn's office denied or ignored all four requests — despite the Tennessee senator being an outspoken supporter of increased transparency into the Epstein investigation. After declining to assist Wyden's efforts, Blackburn continued to make statements calling for the release of information related to the Epstein investigation. In a social media post from last month, Blackburn said she has fought for years to expose Epstein's business associates "and those who were bankrolling his trafficking ring." This is information similar to what Wyden was seeking Blackburn's aid to subpoena. In February of this year, she called out Democrats for "stonewalling" her efforts to "crack the Epstein ring wide open." "Despite these statements, Senator Blackburn's actions tell a different story," reads the report. "Senator Blackburn and her staff refused to cooperate with Senator Wyden's investigation into the financing of Epstein's sex trafficking in any way." Six Rivers Media reached out to Blackburn's office to see why she declined to assist Wyden's investigation, but her team did not respond. The broader, 67-page report was compiled by a team of investigators commissioned by Wyden's office. They allege that documents show JPMorgan Chase, even after terminating Epstein as a client due to human trafficking concerns, waited years to report his suspicious activity to regulators. The allegations say executives with JPMorgan Chase even "coached" Epstein on how to withdraw funds in a way that concealed the information from government regulators. It says top executives with the company had knowledge of the "pervasive" presence of underage women at Epstein's home. The report also states Bank of America likely violated anti-money laundering laws by failing to screen and report $170 million in payments to Epstein from Leon Black — who he relied on heavily to bankroll his sex trafficking activities. Deutsche was accused of ignoring Epstein's massive withdrawals "for questionable purposes."