Democratic members of the U.S. Home Judiciary Committee are asking the Justice Division for quick preparations to view the total Jeffrey Epstein case files. In a proper inquiry despatched Saturday, the lawmakers mentioned the necessity for a evaluation of the papers is “pressing,” partly due to a forthcoming public committee listening to with Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi.
The committee’s inquiry, a replica of which CBS Information obtained Saturday, mentioned the panel has questions on why the Justice Division launched solely half of the estimated pages of Epstein recordsdata.
“Our evaluation is especially pressing as a result of DOJ itself claims to have recognized over 6 million probably responsive pages, however after releasing solely about half of them—together with over 200,000 pages that DOJ redacted or withheld—says unusually that it has absolutely complied with the (legislation),” the letter mentioned.
The inquiry, signed by the panel’s rating member and Maryland Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin, is addressed to Deputy U.S. Lawyer Normal Todd Blanche. It reminded Blanche that he beforehand mentioned that if any member of Congress needs to evaluation any parts of the recordsdata “in any unredacted kind,” they’re welcome to make preparations to take action.
“The Democratic Members of the Home Judiciary Committee do want to evaluation the recordsdata,” the letter mentioned.
The Judiciary Committee Democrats usually are not the primary to ask for entry to the total recordsdata. In a proper request despatched Friday night time, Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna requested for “entry to unredacted paperwork of the Jeffrey Epstein recordsdata with the intention to fulfill Congress’s oversight obligations and to make sure that survivors obtain the transparency and accountability they deserve.” Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Khanna, a California Democrat, sponsored the 2025 laws that handed Congress and required a full launch of Epstein recordsdata.
The Congressional inquiries to the Justice Division query whether or not the Trump administration is withholding paperwork with out justification.
“We search to make sure that your redactions adjust to the Act’s requirement that supplies be withheld solely in slender circumstances, similar to defending victims’ personally identifiable data, and never on the premise of ’embarrassment, reputational hurt, or political sensitivity, together with to any authorities official, public determine, or overseas dignitary,'” the Judiciary Committee Democrats’ letter mentioned.
Blanche defended the company’s doc launch and redactions at a information convention on Friday.
“Once we mentioned that we weren’t legally allowed to launch paperwork, that is a truth,” he mentioned. “That was true, it stays true immediately, after which with the act’s passage, we are actually in a position and directed to launch paperwork, which is what we’re doing.”
Teams of Epstein survivors have blasted the Trump administration for its dealing with of the recordsdata, together with Friday’s launch.
“The Justice Division can not declare it’s completed releasing recordsdata till each legally required doc is launched and each abuser and enabler is absolutely uncovered,” one group, which included Epstein survivors Annie Farmer and Dani Bensky, wrote in a press release Friday.
The Justice Division didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark concerning the Congressional inquiries.
