Bondi Battles Critics Over Epstein File Transparency

By Staff, Agencies

The US Department of Justice [DoJ] claimed it has released all documents required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but lawmakers dispute that assertion, arguing that key materials remain undisclosed.

In a letter sent Saturday to members of Congress, US Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy alleged that the department had released all files in its possession required under the law. The letter included a list of names appearing in the documents.

Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who co-authored the legislation, said the DoJ should also publish internal memos detailing past decisions about whether to charge Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.

Earlier this month, the DoJ released millions of new files related to Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. At the time, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that roughly three million pages were withheld.

Those documents were not released because they contained personal medical records, graphic depictions of child abuse, or material that could jeopardize ongoing investigations, Blanche said.

In their latest letter, Bondi and Blanche wrote: “In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and as described in various Department submissions to the courts of the Southern District of New York assigned to the Epstein and Maxwell prosecutions and related orders, the Department released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials in the possession of the Department’ that ‘relate to’ any of nine different categories.”

They added that no records were withheld “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”

According to the letter, the individuals listed include people who “are or were a government official or politically exposed person” and whose names appeared at least once in the files.

Bondi and Blanche said the names appear in “a wide variety of contexts,” from those with extensive direct email contact with Epstein or Maxwell to individuals merely mentioned in documents or news reports. Among those listed were Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bill Clinton, as well as deceased musicians Janis Joplin and Elvis Presley.

Massie, in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dick Durbin, and House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan and ranking member Jamie Raskin, told ABC’s This Week that although the US Department of Justice “wants to say they are done with this document production,” more records should be released.

He criticized the DoJ for using “deliberative process privilege” to withhold internal memos, notes, and emails, which his bill with Representative Ro Khanna requires.

California Representative Ro Khanna, co-author of the act, called it absurd that Janis Joplin appeared alongside Larry Nassar in the files and demanded: “Release the full files. Stop protecting predators. Redact only the survivor’s names.”

Lawmakers and attorneys for Epstein’s victims have criticized the DoJ for improperly redacting documents, including emails and nude photos that could identify potential victims, though the department said any errors were “technical or human” and that all flagged files were removed.