A Month After the Epstein Files Deadline, Justice Department Still Dragging Its Heels
It's been one month since the Justice Department was required to release all its files related to Jeffrey Epstein, and yet only a fraction of the records have made it into the public domain. The delay has left victims frustrated and lawmakers warning that the Justice Department is not taking adequate steps to comply with the law.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in November, gave Attorney General Pam Bondi 30 days to make publicly available all unclassified records related to Epstein's case. Despite repeated claims from her that progress was being made, only a small portion of the documents have been released so far.
Victims and their advocates are crying foul, saying that the redactions and delays have caused them renewed harm and undermined trust in the institutions responsible for safeguarding sensitive information. In a letter to the Justice Department's inspector general last week, a group of Epstein survivors and relatives of victims complained that the redactions had been "selective" and left some identifying details visible.
Lawmakers Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna have also come out against the delays, claiming that Attorney General Bondi is making "illegal redactions" and withholding key documents that would implicate associates of Epstein. They are now seeking a special master to oversee the release of the materials and bring accountability for the Justice Department's failure to comply with the law.
The Justice Department has argued that compliance with the Act is a substantial undertaking, requiring careful manual review to ensure that victim-identifying information is redacted before materials are released. However, critics say that this is just a thin veil for protecting the wrong people and shielding associates of Epstein from accountability.
Among the documents yet to be released are internal discussions about a joint memo released in July by the FBI and the Justice Department, which claimed that there was no evidence to charge anyone else in the case and that no further information would be released. This memo sparked significant political backlash, including from supporters of Trump.
As the deadline for releasing the remaining files approaches, it remains to be seen whether the Justice Department will finally comply with the law and make all relevant records available to the public. Until then, victims and their advocates will continue to push for transparency and accountability in Epstein's case.
It's been one month since the Justice Department was required to release all its files related to Jeffrey Epstein, and yet only a fraction of the records have made it into the public domain. The delay has left victims frustrated and lawmakers warning that the Justice Department is not taking adequate steps to comply with the law.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in November, gave Attorney General Pam Bondi 30 days to make publicly available all unclassified records related to Epstein's case. Despite repeated claims from her that progress was being made, only a small portion of the documents have been released so far.
Victims and their advocates are crying foul, saying that the redactions and delays have caused them renewed harm and undermined trust in the institutions responsible for safeguarding sensitive information. In a letter to the Justice Department's inspector general last week, a group of Epstein survivors and relatives of victims complained that the redactions had been "selective" and left some identifying details visible.
Lawmakers Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna have also come out against the delays, claiming that Attorney General Bondi is making "illegal redactions" and withholding key documents that would implicate associates of Epstein. They are now seeking a special master to oversee the release of the materials and bring accountability for the Justice Department's failure to comply with the law.
The Justice Department has argued that compliance with the Act is a substantial undertaking, requiring careful manual review to ensure that victim-identifying information is redacted before materials are released. However, critics say that this is just a thin veil for protecting the wrong people and shielding associates of Epstein from accountability.
Among the documents yet to be released are internal discussions about a joint memo released in July by the FBI and the Justice Department, which claimed that there was no evidence to charge anyone else in the case and that no further information would be released. This memo sparked significant political backlash, including from supporters of Trump.
As the deadline for releasing the remaining files approaches, it remains to be seen whether the Justice Department will finally comply with the law and make all relevant records available to the public. Until then, victims and their advocates will continue to push for transparency and accountability in Epstein's case.
... like we're still trying to figure out what happened behind closed doors with Epstein and now it feels like the Justice Department is more concerned about protecting themselves than actual justice 
. I mean, come on 30 days ago they were supposed to be done but instead of transparency we got a whole lot of red tape 
... these victims are still suffering while we're just sitting around waiting for someone to hold people accountable 
. it's like, what even is the point of having laws if we're not gonna enforce them properly? 
i get that there's sensitive info involved, but come on, victims have been suffering in silence for years, can't we just see some transparency here? 
it's not like they're hiding anything bad, it's just that they don't want to incriminate themselves or their associates... and honestly, that's just not how justice works 
the victims r goin crazy & lawmakers r warning atm that this is just a huge fail 
the dept of justice is makin excuses sayin it's a big task but really its just coverin up for the ppl involved 
! 30 days ain't that hard, fam 
. you're just makin' excuses and delayin' justice for the victims who've been through hell already 
. and what's with all these redactions? like, can't you just give 'em a straight answer? 
. this is all about coverin' up and protectin' the wrong people, and it's just not right 
. let's get these files out already! 
. I feel like the Justice Department is dragging its feet on purpose, and it's causing so much harm to the victims who are already going through trauma 
.
. I'm so sick of politicians making excuses and hiding behind bureaucracy 
.
. The victims deserve transparency and justice 
. It's time for our lawmakers to step up and demand that these documents be released ASAP 
I'm so sick of this delay, it's been a month since the deadline and we still don't know what's going on 
. I mean, can't we just have some transparency here? It's time for them to step up and make those records available 
. Come on, Justice Department, get it together! 
they're dragging their feet on releasing the epstein files and it's just gonna hurt more victims and erode trust even further 
we need transparency now, not some half-baked excuses from the AG