Newly released documents from the late disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including a bunch of completely redacted pages, are seen in a handout released by the Justice Department and printed and organized for photos by Reuters in Washington, Dec. 19, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday called on the Government Accountability Office to investigate the Justice Department’s release and editing of documents related to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The letter, signed by Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.), Ben Ray Lujan (D), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), alleges the Justice Department failed to follow laws designed to force the release of the Epstein files while protecting victims.
“Contrary to Congress’ clear directives to protect victims, these records included identifying email addresses and nude photographs of publicly identified and privately identified victims,” the lawmakers wrote. “However, when it comes to information identifying powerful businessmen and politicians who are alleged to be co-conspirators and key witnesses, the Justice Department appears to have significantly redacted those records.”
GAO is an independent, nonpartisan legislative agency with the authority to audit and investigate the federal government.
The Justice Department has been repeatedly criticized for withholding parts of the Epstein file from the public in violation of the Epstein File Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November after months of opposition. The law required full disclosure of documents by December 19th.
The Justice Department has so far released millions of documents, but it has missed a December deadline and many more entries in the Epstein file have yet to be released, sparking protests from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have called on the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate the department’s handling of the Epstein file. The House Oversight Committee voted last week to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi as part of the investigation into Epstein, who died in 2019.
The letter asks Acting Comptroller General Oris Williams Brown to review and report to Congress the “procedures and practices” the Justice Department used to review, compile, and release the Epstein file. Specifically, it asks GAO to investigate “whether the release of the files helped cover up child sexual abuse.”
“This is a horrific scandal in which powerful and wealthy men groomed, abused, and raped young women, men, and children,” the senators wrote. “It is critical that we understand why the Justice Department failed to redact victims’ information and re-victimize these individuals, while violating the Epstein File Transparency Act in redacting information about alleged abusers.”
