(Thérèse Boudreaux, The Center Square) Frustrated with a lack of cooperation from the U.S. Department of Justice, the lawmakers responsible for forcing the release of government files on Jeffrey Epstein are threatening legal repercussions.
Led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Congress last month overwhelmingly passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The law mandates that the DOJ declassify all information pertaining to Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted sex trafficker who died in prison in 2019.
The Justice Department failed to meet the 30-day deadline, however, releasing only part of the cache. As a result, Massie and Khanna have vowed to hold Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress, which could lead to fines, impeachment, or even imprisonment.
Bondi said the delay is due to the number of redactions still needed to protect victims’ privacy, and that the rest of the files will be released on a rolling basis over the coming weeks.
Another batch of files is set to drop Monday afternoon. But lawmakers say the department’s track record of completely blacking out hundreds of pages and redacting information unrelated to victims’ protection proves the release is “bogus.”
“The survivors deserve justice. The DOJ release does not comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and does not provide what the survivors are guaranteed under the new law,” Massie posted on X on Monday.
“The results are in: nobody is buying this bogus Epstein release. The DOJ needs to quit protecting the rich, powerful, and politically connected,” he said in a follow-up post.
Most of the thousands of files already released are either heavily censored or reveal no new information. In a Monday letter to Congress, 18 of Epstein’s victims called for accountability and condemned the DOJ for seemingly trying to “keep survivors and the public in the dark as much as possible and as long as possible.”
“[W]hat we received was riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation,” the women wrote. “Moreover, the partial release was done in a manner that made it difficult or impossible for survivors to find materials that would be most relevant to our search for accountability.”
Khanna has demanded that the next batch of files include FBI witness interviews which names other men, the Epstein emails seized from his computer, the 60 count draft indictment, and the 82 page prosecution memo.
“The DOJ must stop protecting rich & powerful men who were not charged or those who sabotaged the prosecution,” Khanna said on social media.
Bondi has defended the department’s approach, posting on X that the DOJ “will ensure that Justice is served.”
“The Department of Justice previously stated we will bring charges against anyone involved in the trafficking and exploitation of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims. We reaffirm this commitment, and ask any victim to please come forward with any information pertaining to any individuals who engaged in illicit activity at their expense,” Bondi said. “We have met with many victims and victims groups, and will continue to do so if more reach out.”
