Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Which U.S. federal candidates accepted donations from Jeffrey Epstein between 2000 and 2019 and how much did each receive?
Executive summary
Available reporting and database summaries show Jeffrey Epstein gave federal-level political donations to multiple U.S. candidates and committees mostly in the 1990s and early 2000s; OpenSecrets and news outlets quantify his giving at roughly $139,000+ to Democrats and about $18,000 to Republicans between 1989–2003 and roughly $185,000 across 1990–2018 depending on counts [1] [2]. Detailed line‑by‑line candidate receipts and exact totals between 2000 and 2019 are reported in FEC/OpenSecrets compilations cited by news outlets, but fully granular tables for every candidate and amount within that 2000–2019 window are available through donor‑lookup tools like OpenSecrets rather than in the single articles provided here [3] [4].
1. What the major compendiums say: overall totals and partisan split
Investigations compiled by nonpartisan trackers found Epstein’s political giving was concentrated in earlier decades: OpenSecrets reported he donated more than $139,000 to Democratic federal candidates and committees and over $18,000 to Republican candidates and groups from 1989 through 2003 [1]. Local reporting using the same databases summarized nearly $185,000 in donations to federal candidates and committees between 1990 and 2018, with about $147,000 to Democrats and roughly $18,000 to Republicans [2]. These aggregate figures are the best-cited totals in the supplied sources [1] [2].
2. Which named federal candidates appear in coverage
News outlets list multiple prominent politicians who received Epstein-linked donations. Business Insider and Good Morning America identify recipients including Hillary Clinton (reported $20,000 via a joint fundraising committee in 1999), Bill Clinton ($1,000 in 1992), John Kerry, Chris Dodd (a $1,000 contribution in 2003 that was later returned), Chuck Schumer, and others cited by the Center for Responsive Politics/OpenSecrets in their reporting [4] [5]. OpenSecrets’ database pages and stories are repeatedly invoked as the source for these recipient names and individual contributions [1] [4].
3. Amounts and timing — what the supplied sources specify
The sources provide some candidate‑level amounts but not a single exhaustive list confined to 2000–2019 within the supplied excerpts. Examples given include: Epstein gave $20,000 to Hillary Clinton’s joint fundraising committee in 1999 (reported by Good Morning America), $1,000 to Bill Clinton in 1992 [5], two $1,000 donations to a John Kelly campaign in 2000 [4], and a $1,000 2003 gift to Chris Dodd that was later returned [4] [1]. Business Insider also cites $12,600 total to a 2014/2015 Connecticut House candidate (Gwendolyn Beck) with $2,600 direct and two $5,000 donations to affiliated groups — demonstrating Epstein’s later, smaller dollar activity after a hiatus [4].
4. Where to find a definitive, candidate‑by‑candidate accounting
The OpenSecrets donor‑lookup tool and FEC records are the primary sources to compile a definitive candidate-by-candidate list and numeric totals for a specific date range [3]. Multiple news stories — Business Insider, Good Morning America, CNBC, and local papers — rely on OpenSecrets/FEC datasets to name recipients and amounts [4] [5] [6] [2]. To produce an authoritative table limited to 2000–2019, use OpenSecrets’ donor lookup or the FEC database and filter Epstein’s name and the exact years — those data sources are cited by the articles provided [3] [1].
5. Disagreements, limitations and editorial context
Different outlets report slightly different aggregate totals because they draw from overlapping but not identical date ranges and classification methods: OpenSecrets’ headline figure (1989–2003 totals) differs from local reporting that spans 1990–2018, and Business Insider highlights specific later donations [1] [2] [4]. The articles note some donations were routed through joint fundraising committees or political groups, complicating how a single candidate’s receipt is counted [5] [4]. Available sources do not provide a single, fully detailed list exclusively for 2000–2019 within the excerpts supplied here; instead they point readers to the underlying FEC/OpenSecrets records for line‑by‑line confirmation [3] [4].
6. Political and journalistic implications
Reporting repeatedly shows Epstein’s donations were bipartisan but skewed toward Democrats in dollar terms in the periods studied; outlets also document campaigns and committees returning donations once Epstein’s abuses were publicized, illustrating political calculus and reputational risk management [1] [6]. News outlets and congressional releases later used these donation records as context in broader inquiries and document releases tied to Epstein-related files, reflecting how financial ties became part of investigative scrutiny [7] [8].
If you want a candidate-by-candidate table limited strictly to 2000–2019 with exact dollar amounts, I can query the OpenSecrets donor lookup [3] and FEC records referenced by these stories and produce a sourced list drawing directly from those databases.