As Sen. Ron Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, put it, “This is a big one.”
Wyden is referring to a 2015, 69-page memo recently found in the Epstein files. The investigation was “spearheaded by the DEA and involved drug trafficking and money laundering,” Wyden wrote on Bluesky. “Epstein was one of 15 targets. The other 14 names are redacted.”
“I've got questions,” Wyden added. So should we all.
The memo pertains to a DEA Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force probe opened in 2010 in New York. It indicated that the investigation remained active at the time the memo was drafted, 5 years later, CBS News noted. Also, “The co-conspirators, it said, were being investigated for ‘illegitimate wire transfers which are tied to illicit drug and/or prostitution activities occurring in the U.S. Virgin Islands and New York City.’"
Wyden has demanded the complete, unredacted memo, for starters. “We need to know the results. Did it result in any charges being brought against the targets? Why did it end, and when? Did the first Trump administration squash it?” he posted.
“This document is proof that it’s essential to keep following the money,” Wyden continued. “I’m convinced there’s a mess of financial crimes running throughout the Epstein story, and a lot of other people who were directly involved are still walking free. That’s unacceptable."
In a letter to Terrance C. Cole, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Wyden wrote that the memo “raises serious questions” about the investigation, given that Epstein and his 14 co-conspirators were never charged for either drug trafficking or financial crimes.
Wyden also wants to know exactly what Epstein and his 14 associates were being investigated for, what types of illicit drug activities were under investigation, what the final result of the investigation was, and whether charges were recommended against Epstein and/or any of the 14 alleged co-conspirators.
Stay tuned!
