Fed Nominee Asked About Links to Jeffrey Epstein

Senator Elizabeth Warren, the leading Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, has sent a letter to Kevin Warsh asking him to explain any contact he may have had with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Warsh was chosen by President Trump to become the next chair of the Federal Reserve, a role that will be confirmed by Congress. The letter came after Warsh’s name appeared in documents released by the government. Those files included emails from Epstein’s staff about a holiday party on the Caribbean island of St. Barthélemy in 2010. Warren pointed out that Warsh was mentioned in the exchange and asked whether he had been involved with the event.Warren says it is important for lawmakers and the public to know if Warsh ever met Epstein or his associates. She wrote that, as the Senate reviews his nomination, full transparency is needed about any relationship he might have had with Epstein or people close to him. The questions she sent cover travel to St. Barthélemy, attendance at social gatherings with Epstein, and any contact with Ghislaine Maxwell. Warsh has not yet replied to the request. He is a former Fed governor whose marriage ties him to the wealthy Lauder family. Trump nominated him to succeed current chair Jerome Powell when Powell’s term ends in May. The confirmation process is already uncertain. A probe into the Federal Reserve and current chair Powell has led Republican Senator Thom Tillis to say he will block Warsh’s confirmation until the investigation finishes. Powell has said he will stay on as chair until a successor is chosen and will not leave the Fed while the Justice Department looks into him.