Two US lawmakers, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California and Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, have requested a federal judge's intervention in forcing the release of all files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The request comes as the Justice Department has faced criticism for not releasing the full set of files on the December 19 deadline as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The lawmakers' letter to US District Judge Paul Engelmayer alleges that the Justice Department's conduct is a "flagrant violation" of the transparency law and has caused significant trauma to Epstein's survivors. They claim that the department's failure to comply with the law, combined with the lack of required reports on redactions and withheld records, makes it difficult for lawmakers to oversee the process.
According to the Justice Department's own court filing, 12,285 documents have been released, representing less than 1% of all related files. However, the lawmakers question these figures, stating that they are self-reported and internally inconsistent with prior representations, suggesting that the department may be overstating its compliance.
The representatives also point out that no report has been submitted by the Justice Department to the House and Senate judiciary committees detailing redactions and records withheld from release, making it challenging for lawmakers to determine what records exist, what has been withheld, or why.
As part of their request, Khanna and Massie asked Judge Engelmayer to grant an independent monitor authority to notify the court about the true nature and extent of document production and if any improper redactions or conduct is taking place. They believe that without this oversight, the Justice Department will not produce the required records.
The lawmakers' letter to US District Judge Paul Engelmayer alleges that the Justice Department's conduct is a "flagrant violation" of the transparency law and has caused significant trauma to Epstein's survivors. They claim that the department's failure to comply with the law, combined with the lack of required reports on redactions and withheld records, makes it difficult for lawmakers to oversee the process.
According to the Justice Department's own court filing, 12,285 documents have been released, representing less than 1% of all related files. However, the lawmakers question these figures, stating that they are self-reported and internally inconsistent with prior representations, suggesting that the department may be overstating its compliance.
The representatives also point out that no report has been submitted by the Justice Department to the House and Senate judiciary committees detailing redactions and records withheld from release, making it challenging for lawmakers to determine what records exist, what has been withheld, or why.
As part of their request, Khanna and Massie asked Judge Engelmayer to grant an independent monitor authority to notify the court about the true nature and extent of document production and if any improper redactions or conduct is taking place. They believe that without this oversight, the Justice Department will not produce the required records.
I'm calling BS on these US lawmakers trying to intervene in the Epstein case. If 12k docs are less than 1% of all files, why should we trust they're getting it all? Those self-reported numbers from the DOJ sound like a fishy excuse to me 
. What's really going on here? Where's the proof that these records exist and aren't just some made-up figs? We need more than just wordplay from Khanna and Massie 
. The public deserves transparency, not just empty promises. Sources, people! 
but seriously, i think it's kinda shady how the justice department is handling this whole thing... releasing like 12k docs out of millions? that doesn't seem right to me. and can we talk about how traumatic it must be for epstein's survivors to still not get all the info they need? 
it's crazy that politicians are on their case, maybe they should be focusing on making things better instead of trying to stir up drama 
anyway, hope judge engelmayer gives them what they're asking for 
that's like me saying i've read all my memes 
and then expecting you to believe it lolol no one wants to see all those documents, even if they're relevant. plus the justice dept is already having a bad day with the epstein thing so why make things worse? let them have their monitor dude 
but i'm still good without seeing all that tea
. I don't get why the Justice Department can't just release all those files like they're supposed to. It's like, come on guys! There are so many people who have been hurt by Jeffrey Epstein and now it feels like justice is still kinda messed up 
.
.
. It's not cool when politicians are in the dark about what's going on behind closed doors 
.
Like, I get it, transparency is super important, but the fact that the Justice Department is stonewalling like this... it's just crazy. 12k documents out of some million or whatever? It's like they're trying to cover something up. And these lawmakers are right, we need to know what's going on here. The whole thing with the redactions and withheld records... it's just so suspicious. I mean, I've seen some shady stuff in my time critiquing old movies, but this is like something out of a bad thriller. 
And the fact that they're not even submitting reports to Congress? That's just infuriating. We need more oversight, you know? We need someone keeping an eye on these folks to make sure they're playing by the rules. 
meanwhile 12k docs out of who knows how many is basically nothing 
