A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday called for an audit of the Justice Department’s handling of files on disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a letter to the Justice Department’s acting inspector general, Don Barthiome, the group of 12 senators said the department violated a law called the Epstein File Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in November. The law requires the complete, minimally redacted release of the Epstein files by December 19th.
The lawmakers are led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Sen. Jeff Merkley (R-Ore.). –The Justice Department has withheld files, released documents that have already been released, and said it has redacted certain releases to the extent that there are “serious questions about whether the department has properly applied the limited redaction exceptions permitted by the Act.”
“Given the government’s historical hostility to file disclosure, the broader politicization of the Epstein case, and the failure to comply with the Epstein File Transparency Act, an independent assessment of compliance with statutory disclosure requirements is essential,” the group wrote.
The Inspector General is an independent watchdog agency that audits and investigates federal agencies. The Justice Department inspector general is “ideally positioned” to conduct the audit because he has complete access to the files, the lawmakers wrote.
At the beginning of his second term, President Trump fired more than a dozen inspectors general across the federal government, but spared Michael Horowitz, who had been the Justice Department’s longtime watchdog since 2012. Mr. Horowitz resigned in June to take the same position at the Federal Reserve Board.
President Trump selected Barthiome to serve as an internal watchdog within the Justice Department in October.
The Justice Department has released major batches of the Epstein files twice since Dec. 19, but the slow trickle of documents has angered lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers in a letter to Congress on Friday that the Justice Department would release the files “on a rolling basis” through the end of the year, contrary to legal requirements. In a post to X on Wednesday, the Justice Department updated its estimates. It added that more than 1 million additional documents potentially related to Epstein were discovered by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI.
“Due to the large amount of material, this process may take several more weeks,” the post states.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Monday he intends to force the Senate to vote on suing the Justice Department for full disclosure of files. And Representatives Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) threatened to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi and Attorney General Blanche in contempt of court.
“Survivors deserve justice. The Justice Department’s release does not comply with the Epstein File Transparency Act and does not provide survivors with what they are entitled to under the new law,” Massey said in a post on X on Monday.
Trump, a former friend of Epstein, was largely absent from the Justice Department’s initial release of documents last Friday.
The latest set of files released Tuesday contains numerous references to Mr. Trump, including emails suggesting that Mr. Trump frequently traveled on Mr. Epstein’s private plane in the 1990s.
President Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to the disgraced New York investor. “Some of these documents contain false and sensational allegations against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI just before the 2020 election,” the Justice Department said in a post to X on Tuesday.
Trump has signaled he would be open to declassifying some Epstein files during his 2024 presidential campaign, but has spent much of this year fighting to keep them secret. He called the uproar over the Epstein files a “hoax” and pressured some House Republicans to lower their support for a bill that would ultimately force his release.
When the Epstein File Transparency Act appeared ready to pass Congress, Trump belatedly gave his blessing to the effort.
“Full transparency is essential to identifying the members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes, as survivors have so bravely and repeatedly called for. Survivors deserve full disclosure,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Epstein File Transparency Act passed both chambers of Congress with broad bipartisan support, but Murkowski was the only Republican to sign the letter.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Acting Inspector General Don Barthiome’s name.
