What Did the CIA Know About Jeffrey Epstein? Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit to Find Out

WASHINGTON, DC. — A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit was filed against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) yesterday by Judicial Watch, seeking the release of records relating to the roles convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein may have played in connection with the agency, including records about his so-called “Black Book” and his death.

Judicial Watch Lawsuit Wants CIA To Disclose Epstein Records

Judicial Watch, a conservative activist group, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

against the CIA. The group confirmed that Epstein, after pleading guilty to soliciting and procuring a minor in 2008,

• Was reported to have met “dozens of times” with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak between 2013 and 2017.
• Reportedly donated $110,000 to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers’ wife’s online poetry project in 2016
• Held meetings with many other high-profile individuals

The group confirmed that the CIA failed to respond to a July 9, 2025, FOIA request. This occurred after Attorney General Pamela Bondi released a trove of documents related to Epstein in February 2025, which provided no significant revelations.

Judicial Watch seeks records relating to:

• Intelligence activities and connections, including any records indicating whether Epstein was ever an asset for any U.S. or foreign intelligence agency
• Financial and business activities, including analyses concerning Epstein’s wealth accumulation, estimated at approximately $560 million at the time of his 2019 arrest.
• Associations and networks
• Records about his so-called “Black Book” and his properties that may have been referenced in CIA reports.
• Criminal investigations and legal proceedings
• Records about his death in 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.
• Surveillance and evidence collection.
• Foreign connections and travel.
• Victim and witness information.

Judicial Watch has filed two other lawsuits in connection with Epstein:

• An April 2025 related lawsuit was filed against the U.S. Department of Justice after it failed to respond to four separate FOIA requests for records regarding Epstein. While the Justice Department reported to the court in July that it and the FBI were searching for and reviewing responsive records, a leaked, unsigned, and undated Justice Department/FBI memo, disclosed on July 6, suggests that no more Epstein records would be disclosed to the American public.
• A July 2025 Judicial Watch lawsuit against the Justice Department is seeking all interviews, conversations, and other records provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by Epstein victim Virginia Louise Giuffre, who reportedly committed suicide on April 25.