‘Bizarre turnaround’ from Epstein accountant has shocking explanation: Dem lawmaker

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) provided a shocking explanation Sunday for why he believes that an accountant for Jeffrey Epstein walked back their claim they gave to lawmakers during their recent testimony before a House committee.

Earlier this month, Richard Kahn, one of Epstein’s former accountants, testified before the House Oversight Committee as part of the panel’s ongoing probe into Epstein and potential co-conspirators.

During his testimony, Kahn was asked about an alleged Epstein victim referred to as “Jane Doe 4,” who was revealed earlier this year to have accused President Donald Trump of raping her when she was 13 in the 1980s. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and is not facing criminal charges.

Kahn was specifically asked whether he recalled whether Epstein’s estate had paid a settlement to Jane Doe 4, who had also accused Epstein of sexual assault. At first, Kahn said he believed Jane Doe 4 had “received a settlement via mediation with the estate” in 2025. During the same testimony, later, Kahn’s attorney walked that claim back, and did so again after the hearing in a letter to Khanna.

MS NOW’s Jen Psaki asked Khanna Sunday night about Kahn’s retracted remark, which she called a “bizarre turnaround.”

“I thought I was pretty clear about who this woman was, she's the person who accused Donald Trump of raping her when she was 13, and she was interviewed four times by the FBI,” Khanna told Psaki.

“So the FBI obviously found it credible enough to interview her four times. You saw [Kahn] – he was very uncomfortable, he said 'yes, the estate paid a settlement,' and then five hours later, he retracts it all!”

As to why Kahn would retract his claim, Khanna offered a potential explanation.

“They said 'we can't either confirm or deny' – what does that mean? They know whether they paid the settlement or not,” Khanna said.

“The reality is the fear that someone like him has of Trump. They’re afraid that Trump could direct Pam Bondi to prosecute them, or take some action against them, and it’s really sad to see.”