Raja Krishnamoorthi and Ro Khanna have joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren in demanding answers from Barclays over how the British bank handled former chief executive Jes Staley’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawmakers questioned whether Barclays conducted adequate due diligence before appointing Staley as its CEO and whether the bank properly investigated his relationship with Epstein after concerns about their ties emerged.
In a letter to Barclays Chairman Nigel Higgins, Warren, Krishnamoorthi and Khanna raised concerns about what they described as the bank’s apparent failure to fully investigate Staley’s relationship with Epstein and the circumstances surrounding his appointment to lead the financial institution. The lawmakers have asked Barclays to respond to a series of questions about its internal investigations and corporate governance practices.
The scrutiny comes after revelations about the extent of Staley’s relationship with Epstein and questions over whether the former Barclays chief was fully transparent with the bank and financial regulators.
Staley joined Barclays as chief executive in 2015 and stepped down in 2021 amid regulatory scrutiny over his ties to Epstein. Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority later concluded that Staley had misled regulators about the nature of his relationship with Epstein and banned him from working in the country’s financial industry.
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Barclays has maintained that it was misled by Staley and that information that emerged later was not available to the bank when it initially reviewed his relationship with Epstein. The lawmakers’ letter, however, questions how the bank’s earlier review failed to uncover the extent of a relationship that had reportedly continued for years.
The lawmakers’ intervention comes as Staley faces renewed scrutiny in the United States. He recently appeared in a closed-door session before a U.S. House committee investigating matters related to Epstein. According to Reuters, Staley denied being friends with Epstein and maintained that their relationship was professional, while lawmakers expressed skepticism over that account, pointing to more than 1,000 emails between the two men.
The congressional scrutiny has focused in part on communications in which Staley and Epstein appeared to describe their relationship in unusually personal terms. Staley has disputed the interpretation of those communications and has denied knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.
The lawmakers are also examining broader questions of corporate accountability, including how major financial institutions conduct background checks and risk assessments when hiring senior executives.
The letter to Barclays gives the bank a limited period to respond to the lawmakers’ questions. The inquiry could add to pressure on the bank to explain its decision-making and internal oversight surrounding Staley’s appointment and subsequent departure.
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For Krishnamoorthi and Khanna, the issue also fits into a broader congressional push for transparency and accountability surrounding the Epstein case. Both lawmakers have previously pressed for greater disclosure of records connected to Epstein and his network. Krishnamoorthi has called for accountability from individuals with knowledge of Epstein’s activities, while Khanna has been involved in efforts to make Epstein-related records public.
The latest inquiry places Barclays’ corporate governance practices under renewed scrutiny while lawmakers continue to examine how Epstein maintained relationships with influential figures across finance and other sectors.
The investigation and congressional inquiries remain ongoing, and the full details of the lawmakers’ questions and Barclays’ response could provide further insight into how the bank handled Staley’s relationship with Epstein.