Lawmakers on Capitol Hill and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged abuse have aired their frustrations over the Department of Justice releasing only a portion of its files on the late convicted sex offender by it’s December 19 deadline.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said on X earlier Monday that the DOJ would be releasing another batch of materials from the Epstein files by the afternoon. But the agency has yet to share anything new as of 5 p.m. ET.
Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who both sponsored legislation to release the files, have engaged in a pressure campaign against the DOJ for not yet sharing the full extent of the documents. Some lawmakers have accused officials of covering up for high-profile individuals affiliated with Epstein.
Nearly two dozen Epstein survivors have also spoken out against the DOJ for it’s incomplete and heavily redacted files dump.
“At the same time, numerous victim identities were left unredacted, causing real and immediate harm,” the survivors wrote in a statement.
The survivors said it was “alarming” that the DOJ “has violated the law, both by withholding massive quantities of documents, and by failing to redact survivor identities.”
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Epstein survivor finally learns from files what happened to 1996 complaint
The release of tens of thousands of files from probes into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has confirmed that a former employee warned the FBI in 1996 that he was seeking out child pornography – a decade before the agency investigated the financier.
“I’ve waited 30 years,” Maria Farmer told The New York Times after the Justice Department released files Friday. Among the documents was Farmer’s report to the bureau, which is thought to be the first time someone reported Epstein to law enforcement.
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‘I am really frustrated:’ Epstein survivor says of DoJ file release
Jess Michaels, a woman who was assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein more than 30 years ago, said she is angry and frustrated with the Justice Department’s decision to release only a portion of the Epstein files by the deadline.
“The thing I am really frustrated with is that DoJ broke the law,” Michaels told the New York Times.
Michaels is one of several survivors of Epstein who signed a letter to officials this morning requesting they comply with the law.
ICYMI: Bondi promises to bring charges against person involved with Epstein’s crimes
Clinton spokesperson calls on DoJ to release everything in Epstein files
A spokesperson for former President Bill Clinton released a statement Monday, calling on Justice Department officials to release everything in the Epstein files to comply with the federal law.
“What the Department of Justice has released so far, and the manner in which it did so, makes it one thing clear: someone or something is being protected. We do know whom, what or why. But we do this: we need no such protection,” Angel Ureña wrote.
Ureña went on to claim that the department’s refusal to release everything would perpetuate suspicion that the DoJ’s actions “are not about transparency, but about insinuation.”
“Using selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years, under Presidents and Attorney Generals of both parties,” Ureña added.
Watch: GOP Rep. Massie and Dem. Rep. Khanna say they are drafting contempt charges against Bondi for not releasing full Epstein files
Trump goes golfing as DOJ readies next dump of files
Lawmakers are pushing to get AG Pam Bondi held in contempt for partial release of Epstein files
Massie and Khanna, who co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said Sunday they were in the process of drafting “inherent contempt” against Bondi and building a bipartisan coalition in the House of Representatives to punish her for not releasing the full files by the December 19 deadline.
“Todd Blanche is the face of this, but it’s really the Attorney General’s Office, Pam Bondi, who is responsible,” Massie told CBS’s Face the Nation. “The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi.”
Inherent contempt is a congressional power that allows lawmakers to arrest and hold individuals until they comply with a congressional subpoena or punish them for obstructing investigations. It’s a self-enforcing power that gives Congress the ability to circumvent the typical civil or criminal court process.
Ro Khanna says DoJ will release more files this afternoon
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said Monday morning that he believes the Department of Justice will release another round of files Monday afternoon.
We hear there will be another DOJ Epstein release this afternoon,” Khanna wrote on X before outlining what he hopes to see in the files.
Justice Department restores photo that included Trump
The Justice Department re-uploaded a photo that depicted President Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein, released among the trove of materials in the Epstein files Friday, after taking it down briefly.
The image was briefly taken down over the weekend because it was flagged for further redactions to protect victims, the Department of Justice said.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction,” the DoJ wrote Sunday.
Source: independent.co.uk