Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D.N.Y.) speaks at a news conference about the new “Democratic Initiatives to Lower Costs” on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to force the Senate to vote on suing the Justice Department for full disclosure of files on notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Schumer’s announcement came three days after the Justice Department missed a deadline last week to release all documents required by the Epstein File Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November.
All documents were required by law to be released on Friday with minimal redactions. Only a small portion of all files related to Epstein have been made public so far.
“Instead of being transparent, the Trump administration released only a small portion of the files and blacked out the vast majority of what little was provided,” Schumer said in a statement. “Republicans should reiterate their similar support for supporting the bipartisan legislation we passed and demand that the Trump administration release the entire Epstein file.”
Schumer’s resolution would force Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S.D., to “initiate or intervene in one or more civil actions in the name of the Senate in the appropriate federal court” to force the release of the Epstein files.
Mr. Schumer intends to force consideration of the resolution when the Senate reconvenes in the new year. Senate Republicans previously worked with Democrats to unanimously pass a bill mandating the release of the Epstein files.
Over the weekend, several photos, including images of President Trump’s face, were removed from the Justice Department’s Epstein file archive. The photo was later restored. President Trump has long denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
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Epstein survivors’ groups called on Congress to take legal action in a statement Monday.
“We call for immediate congressional oversight, including public hearings, formal compliance requests, and legal action, to ensure the Department of Justice meets its legal obligations,” the group said.
The Justice Department defended the release of Epstein’s files, saying it was reviewing and redacting the materials as required by law to protect the privacy of Epstein’s victims.
“This is a difficult process as each document and photo must be independently reviewed by the Department of Justice and the Southern District of New York for possible redactions to protect victims and potential victims,” the Justice Department said in a fact sheet.
CNBC has reached out to the Justice Department for comment on Schumer’s resolution.
Other lawmakers who pushed for the release of the Epstein files, including Representative Ro Khanna, D-Calif., threatened to begin impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche over the release of the Epstein files.
CNBC is contacting people identified in the photos or mentioned in the latest release of the Epstein files. All have so far denied wrongdoing. This article will be updated with their answers.
