Two members of the United States Congress have taken the extraordinary step of asking a federal judge to appoint an independent official to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release the complete trove of documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Bipartisan Push for Transparency
In a significant bipartisan move, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California and Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky wrote to US District Judge Paul Engelmayer on Thursday. They urged the court to appoint a special master to compel the DOJ to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates the full disclosure of all related files.
The lawmakers sharply criticised the Justice Department for missing the legally binding deadline of 19 December last year. In their letter, they stated that the DOJ's conduct was "a flagrant violation" of the Act and had caused "serious trauma to survivors" of Epstein's crimes.
Less Than 1% of Documents Released
Khanna and Massie pointed to a recent court filing by the DOJ which revealed that, to date, only 12,285 documents have been made public. This figure represents less than 1% of the total files connected to the case, with a further two million documents reportedly still under review.
The congressmen expressed deep scepticism about these numbers, suggesting the department may be overstating the volume to justify delays. "Because these figures are self-reported and internally inconsistent with prior representations, there is reasonable suspicion that the DOJ has overstated the scope of responsive materials," they wrote, arguing this portrays compliance as unmanageable.
Failure to Report and a Call for Oversight
Further compounding their concerns, the representatives highlighted the DOJ's failure to submit a mandatory report to congressional judiciary committees within 15 days of the deadline. This report was required to detail any redactions and justify withheld records.
"To date, no such report has been provided. Without it, there is no authoritative accounting of what records exist, what has been withheld, or why," they stated, noting this lack of information severely hampers oversight and judicial review.
In their request to Judge Engelmayer, Khanna and Massie asked that the appointed special master be given the authority to monitor the DOJ's production process and report to the court on its true nature and extent, including any improper redactions. "Absent an independent process... we do not believe the DOJ will produce the records that are required by the Act," they concluded, underscoring a profound loss of trust in the department's ability to police itself.
