House Judiciary Committee Democrats released a 53-page staff report on Monday, October 26, 2026, examining President Donald Trump’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — and they formally called for an independent special counsel to investigate. The report, released eight days before the November 3 midterm elections, is already one of the most politically charged documents of the campaign’s final week.
The short answer is this: Democrats say survivor accounts and FBI records in the Epstein files justify an outside investigation. The White House rejects the report as politically motivated, Trump denies wrongdoing connected to Epstein, and he has not been charged with any crime connected to the affair. The allegations in the report are claims made in a partisan staff document, not findings of a court.
What the report actually says
According to the committee Democrats’ own summary, the report draws on committee interviews, survivor accounts, FBI records and documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It says 11 women gave accounts to committee staff, and that five of them directly accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein’s company or presence.
The report includes a newly reported account from Beatrice Keul, a former Miss Switzerland contestant, who alleges Trump raped her at New York’s Plaza Hotel in 1993, when she was 24 and attending a pageant event. The report also traces alleged connections among Trump, Epstein, former Trump envoy Paolo Zampolli and others in the 1990s New York pageant world. Those are the report’s claims, based on interviews and records it cites; they have not been tested in court in this proceeding.
The accusation against the Justice Department
The second half of the report targets the Justice Department itself. Democrats accuse Attorney General Todd Blanche and other officials of shutting down investigations, withholding or redacting files, and steering an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell — Epstein’s former associate, convicted in 2021 of supplying underage girls to Epstein and serving a 20-year sentence — away from a specific survivor whose account implicated Trump.
Democrats argue that conduct could amount to obstruction or witness tampering, and that it is why an independent special counsel is needed: the attorney general who would appoint such a counsel is himself accused of a conflict.
The White House response
The White House has rejected the report, saying the allegations are not true and that Trump has been exonerated on anything related to Epstein. The Justice Department disputes that it hid evidence.
Why the timing matters
The report lands in the final stretch of a midterm campaign in which control of the House is at stake. Democrats have signalled that, if they regain the House, Epstein oversight and document releases would be a priority. Republicans, meanwhile, are framing the release as an election-season attack.
Key takeaways
- Released Oct. 26: a 53-page House Judiciary Democrats staff report on Trump and Epstein.
- Claimed in the report: 11 women gave accounts; five directly accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in Epstein’s company or presence.
- Demanded: an independent special counsel to investigate Trump, Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators and alleged Justice Department concealment.
- Denied: the White House says the allegations are not true; Trump has not been charged over Epstein.
- Not proven by the report alone: no court has ruled on these specific claims in this proceeding.
Bottom line: This is a serious allegation, published by elected officials, demanding an independent investigation — and it remains, for now, an allegation denied by the White House. Watch for whether the Justice Department responds in detail, and whether any special counsel is appointed at all.
