Jes Staley Denies Snow White Allegation in Congressional Epstein Probe
Former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley denied having sex with a woman dressed as Snow White, according to a redacted transcript of a closed-door congressional interview released on August 26, 2026 by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The transcript details Staley's responses to questions about a 2010 email exchange with Jeffrey Epstein involving Disney princess references, conducted as part of the committee's review of federal investigations into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
A "transcribed interview" is a sworn, word-for-word Q&A session conducted by congressional staff behind closed doors, later published as a written record. Staley sat for his on July 24, 2026. The Oversight Committee published the redacted transcript the following month as a PDF, alongside records provided by the Epstein estate.
The exchange at the center of the questioning took place on July 9 and 10, 2010. In emails between Staley and Epstein, Staley wrote: "That was fun. Say hi to Snow White." When Epstein asked "What character would you like next?", Staley replied "Beauty and the Beast." Epstein responded: "Well one side is availble [sic]." The emails surfaced in documents released through the Justice Department's Epstein file collection.
Separately, an unnamed individual sent Epstein an email on July 10, 2010 stating: "the snow white was f..ed twice as soon as she put her costume))." Epstein also appeared to have asked someone to purchase a Snow White costume on June 20, 2010, weeks before the email exchanges with Staley.
Pressed directly during his testimony, Staley was asked: "Did you ever have sex with a young woman in a Snow White costume?" He replied: "No, I did not." Asked whether he and Epstein used "Disney princesses as code names for selecting women for sexual encounters," Staley answered: "No."
Staley acknowledged he may have seen the unnamed woman at Epstein's apartment and that her presence prompted his email remark. He said he had no knowledge of who else she was with and that the matter had nothing to do with him. He maintained he was not with a person dressed as Snow White, "outside of potentially crossing at Epstein's apartment."
The broader context here is one of escalating institutional scrutiny of Staley's relationship with Epstein, which has already produced significant regulatory consequences. Staley first met Epstein in 2000 after becoming head of JPMorgan's private bank — a division that manages wealth for high-net-worth clients — where Epstein was a client. Staley joined Barclays in 2015 and was forced to step down in 2021 after UK financial regulators opened an investigation into his relationship with Epstein. He was subsequently banned from holding any role in the UK's financial sector for playing down his ties with Epstein, and a court challenge to overturn that ban failed in June 2025.
Epstein died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges. The Oversight Committee's investigation has expanded beyond Staley. The committee has also released a transcript of an interview with former US Attorney General Pam Bondi. When asked during her transcribed interview whether the Department of Justice ever investigated Staley for alleged crimes related to Jeffrey Epstein, Bondi answered: "I don't know." The committee additionally released a transcript of Kathryn Ruemmler's interview, conducted on July 29, 2026.
What this means for the trajectory of the investigation is worth considering. The Staley transcript shows a Congressional body working through a widening circle of witnesses connected to Epstein's network. The committee identified Staley as a key figure given his multi-decade professional relationship with Epstein and his eventual ouster from one of the UK's largest banks. Bondi's inability to confirm whether DOJ ever investigated Staley for Epstein-related crimes raises questions about the federal investigative record that the committee is specifically tasked with reviewing.
The release of the Staley transcript, the Bondi interview, and the Ruemmler transcript in close succession suggests the committee is building a public evidentiary record rather than waiting for a final report. For Staley personally, the transcript adds another layer to a public record that already includes regulatory sanctions and an unsuccessful legal appeal, even as he categorically denies the most salacious allegations contained in the emails.
