Judicial Watch Sues Treasury Dept on Covering of Former Treasury Sec Larry Summers’ Official Portrait after His Name Surfaced in Epstein Files

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Treasury for records regarding the covering of former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers’ official portrait in the Main Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., reportedly after his name surfaced in records connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Treasury (No.1:26-cv-00446)).

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after the Treasury Department failed to respond to a January 8, 2026, FOIA request for:

All records, including communications, about the covering up of former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers’ portrait in the U.S. Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. Mr. Summers served as Treasury Secretary from July 2, 1999, to January 20, 2001.

Judicial Watch submitted the FOIA request after a source inside Treasury informed a Judicial Watch lawyer about the portrait-covering incident.

In November 2025, soon after his name arose in connection with Epstein, Summers said, “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused.… I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.”

An exchange of emails between Summers and Epstein contained in a trove of Epstein records released by the House Oversight Committee, Epstein called himself Summers’ “wing man.”

“Covering Larry Summers’ portrait won’t make the Epstein scandal disappear,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Covering the portrait raises obvious questions. Transparency—not cover-ups—is the proper response.”

Judicial Watch has been actively pursuing details of the Epstein case.

In November 2025, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department for records subpoenaed by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding accused sex trafficker Epstein.

In October 2025, Judicial Watch filed a FOIA lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for records involving any role Epstein might have played in connection with the agency, his business dealings, travel, victim or witness information, and records concerning his death.

In September 2025, Judicial Watch sued the Justice Department for communications the department had with the media outlet Axios regarding the outlet’s “exclusives” on the release of audio of then-President Joe Biden’s August 2023 interview with then-Special Counsel Robert Hur regarding Biden’s handling of secret documents and the July 2025 memo that stated there is no Epstein “client list.”

In a Judicial Watch FOIA lawsuit, a “joint status report” filed on July 7, 2025, in federal court reported that the Justice Department and the FBI were continuing to search for and review records in response to Judicial Watch’s FOIA lawsuit for records regarding Epstein. The lawsuit requests any records on the identities of clients or associates of Epstein. The Justice Department’s disclosure is at odds with the leaked, unsigned and undated Justice Department/FBI memo that suggests no more Epstein records would be disclosed to the American public. The memo was first disclosed late on July 6.

Also in July, Judicial Watch sued the Justice Department for all interviews and other records provided to the FBI by Epstein victim Virginia Louise Giuffre, who reportedly committed suicide on April 25, 2025.

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