Democrat Ro Khanna Recklessly Brands Four Completely Innocent Men as Epstein Associates on House Floor – Turns Out They Were Just Random Photo Lineup Fillers with ZERO Epstein Connection
A stunning controversy erupted on Capitol Hill this week after Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) publicly named six men on the House floor and suggested they were among the “wealthy, powerful men” implicated in the sealed files connected to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But within days, it became clear that four of those men had no connection whatsoever to Epstein or his crimes.
Instead, they were reportedly included in a decades-old FBI photo lineup compiled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Speaking before Congress, Khanna claimed:
“Rep. Thomas Massie and I forced last night the DOJ to disclose the identities of six men.”
He then read aloud the names:
- Salvatore Nuara
- Zurab Mikeladze
- Leonid Leonov
- Nicola Caputo
- Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem
- Leslie Wexner
Khanna characterized the individuals as “wealthy and powerful men that the DOJ hid for no apparent reason,” implying their inclusion in files tied to Epstein was evidence of wrongdoing.
WATCH:
.@RepThomasMassie and I forced last night the DOJ to disclose the identities of 6 men:
Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, Nicola Caputo, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, and billionaire businessman Leslie Wexner.
I share details of what more we learned to hold the… pic.twitter.com/5JwKwRUNIF
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) February 10, 2026
The Justice Department had previously redacted the six names before providing Congress access to unredacted materials related to Epstein. Following pressure from lawmakers, including GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), those names were later disclosed.
However, subsequent reporting from The Guardian indicated that at least four of the individuals named Nuara, Mikeladze, Leonov, and Caputo were not Epstein associates at all.
Their names appeared in what was described as a Southern District of New York photo lineup consisting of individuals arrested over a span of decades for unrelated offenses in New York City.
According to the Department of Justice, the lineup had no confirmed ties to Epstein’s criminal network.
Two of the men reportedly denied any connection to Epstein and sought clarification as to why their names were suddenly being broadcast nationwide in connection with one of the most notorious sex-trafficking scandals in modern history.
More from The Guardian:
Two of the six men Khanna mentioned areSultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who has since resigned as CEO of DP World and an Emirati billionaire businessperson, and Leslie Wexner, a billionaire retail magnate, but the other four names did not appear to have any public profile.
A spokesperson from the office of Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, told the Guardian the file was a photo lineup used for investigative purposes by the SDNY.
“Rep Ro Khanna and Rep Thomas Massie forced the unmasking of completely random people selected years ago for an FBI lineup – men and women. These individuals have NOTHING to do with Epstein or Maxwell,” the spokesperson told the Guardian.
[…]
The Guardian spoke with two of the men whose names Khanna read out on the floor. They bothstrongly denied knowing Epstein at all; one said he didn’t realize his name had been mentioned on the House floor in connection to Epstein until the Guardian contacted him. The two men acknowledged they were arrested by the NYPD in the past for unrelated crimes, which could explain how their photos ended up in a photo array assembled by law enforcement.
Salvatore Nuarte, of Queens, New York, said he called Khanna’s office after hearing that his name was mentioned. “I don’t know if they know what they are doing over there at the justice department,” he told the Guardian. “But how can I clear my name?”
A spokesperson for Khanna’s office shared with the Guardian an email it sent to Nuarte after he reached out. “The Department of Justice has not been transparent in what the list was or why they redacted and unredacted your name,” Sarah Drory, Khanna’s communications director, wrote to Nuarte. “We will make sure to be absolutely factual and truthful once we have these facts and certainly not fuel any misimpression DoJ has created.”
Leonid Leonov, whose name was incorrectly listed as Leonic Leonov in the files, but whose photo and birthday matches the file, is an IT manager in Queens. He vigorously denied knowing Epstein. “I don’t even have a second or third degree connection to him. Never worked for him, nothing,” he said when reached via phone.
Following the backlash, Khanna acknowledged the error in a post on X:
“I appreciate reporting confirming today that Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonid Leonov, and Nicola Caputo were just part of a photo line up and are not connected to Epstein’s crimes.”
He went on to shift blame to the DOJ for what he described as a lack of explanation when the names were unredacted:
“I wish DOJ had provided that explanation earlier instead of redacting then unredacting their names. They have failed to protect survivors, created confusion for innocent men, and have protected rich and powerful abusers. We must have full transparency and the truth.”
I appreciate @JSweetLI’s reporting confirming today that Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonid Leonov, and Nicola Caputo were just part of a photo line up and are not connected to Epstein’s crimes.
I wish DOJ had provided that explanation earlier instead of redacting then…
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) February 13, 2026
Notably, Khanna did not issue a direct apology to the men whose names he publicly read into the Congressional Record in connection with Epstein’s criminal network.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blance responded, stating, “The “problem” is that you didn’t come to us, but immediately ran to X and the House floor and made false accusations about four men, while we were checking the facts.”
The “problem” is that you didn’t come to us, but immediately ran to X and the House floor and made false accusations about four men, while we were checking the facts. https://t.co/mMX5W709lT
— Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) February 14, 2026
White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung blasted Khanna and Massie over the incident, accusing the lawmakers of causing reputational harm to innocent individuals by prematurely publicizing investigative materials without proper context.
“Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie are some of the dumbest retards ever to be in Congress. They knowingly and willfully ruined the lives of innocent people who had nothing to do with Epstein,” Cheung wrote on X.
Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie are some of the dumbest retards ever to be in Congress. They knowingly and willfully ruined the lives of innocent people who had nothing to do with Epstein. https://t.co/lbHFJC9Urx
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) February 13, 2026
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