Sen. Wyden pushes Treasury Department release Epstein banking files to finance committee

Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, pushed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the Senate Finance Committee.

Epstein, who was a wealthy financier, died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to request the release of Treasury files related to Jeffrey Epstein to the Senate Finance Committee.

The Oregon senator, who has been investigating Epstein for years, specifically requested in his letter -- which was sent on Tuesday -- "all files related to transactions with Epstein and any co-conspirators," including "suspicious activity reports" (SARs) issued by financial institutions.

The reports flagged concerning payments made to or from Epstein, his convicted co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell and 58 other people and groups, according to Wyden.

"The Treasury records shine a light on how high-profile individuals paid Epstein staggering sums of money, which was then used to move women around the world or engage in dubious transactions indicative of money laundering," Wyden said in a statement.

Wyden noted in his letter that Bessent twice declined to produce Treasury documents to the committee.

"The facts are clear. Treasury has the authority to produce the Epstein files to the Finance Committee. You have simply chosen not to," Wyden wrote to Bessent.

Wyden and his staff viewed some of the SARs last year, but they were not allowed to copy the documents.

A spokesperson for the Treasury Department dismissed Wyden's calls, calling it in a statement "political theater."

"This is the most transparent presidential Administration in history. We take requests from Congress very seriously and follow longstanding protocol to address them in the appropriate manner. Despite the Senator’s fantasies, there are no hidden files at Treasury," the spokesperson said in a statement.

A source familiar with the filings told ABC News that the Treasury Department makes all SAR filings available to approximately 400 authorized federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement is then fully authorized at any point to use that information in their independent investigations, according to the source.

Wyden's letter is among the growing calls from lawmakers for more documents and transparency from the administration into the Epstein investigation.

On Wednesday, women who were victimized by Epstein rallied in Washington, D.C. and called on the federal government to release records related to Epstein.

President Donald Trump, who was once friendly with Epstein, but said they had a falling out years before Epstein was arrested and denied being aware of his criminal activities, reiterated his claims that the investigation was a "Democrat hoax."