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DOJ Is Defying the Epstein Files Transparency Act—Congress Must Act
Text SIGN PZGRYQ to 50409 — I am writing to urge immediate congressional action to enforce the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan law enacted to ensure transparency, accountability, and justice for survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.
The Act required the Department of Justice to release all unclassified records relating to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days of enactment. That deadline passed more than a month ago. According to the Department of Justice’s own representations, only a small fraction of responsive materials has been made public, and required reporting to Congress explaining redactions and withholdings has not been completed.
More troubling still, in recent court filings, the Department of Justice has taken the position that the Act lacks an enforceable mechanism and therefore cannot be compelled by a court. In effect, DOJ argues that although Congress passed the law and the President signed it, no judge may require compliance, appoint an independent monitor, or meaningfully review whether the Department is acting in good faith.
This position raises serious separation-of-powers concerns. If an executive agency may treat a duly enacted transparency statute as effectively unenforceable, then Congress’s ability to mandate disclosure, oversee the executive branch, and vindicate the rights of victims is severely undermined.
The bipartisan concern over this failure is clear. Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie sought judicial involvement only after statutory deadlines were missed and required disclosures were not made. Their request for independent oversight reflects a fundamental problem: when an agency tasked with disclosure controls both the documents and the pace of release, meaningful transparency cannot depend on voluntary compliance alone.
This matter is not about protecting or targeting any individual whose name may appear in the records. It is about whether victims are entitled to timely transparency promised by law, whether Congress’s mandates carry force, and whether the public can trust that justice is administered without delay or selective secrecy.
Victims of Epstein’s crimes have endured years of institutional failure, secrecy, and delay. Continued noncompliance retraumatizes survivors and erodes public confidence. Transparency, handled with appropriate protections for victim privacy, is not a threat to justice—it is a prerequisite for it.
Because DOJ has now placed the enforceability of this law in doubt, Congress must act. I respectfully urge you to:
1. Conduct immediate oversight hearings on DOJ’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
2. Require sworn reporting from DOJ detailing document volume, review methodology, redaction criteria, and timelines.
3. Support or authorize independent oversight, such as a special master or neutral monitor, to ensure lawful compliance.
4. Use Congress’s appropriations and legislative authority to clarify and enforce mandatory transparency where executive resistance persists.
A law passed overwhelmingly by Congress cannot be allowed to become optional in practice. The credibility of congressional oversight, the integrity of the justice system, and the interests of survivors all depend on enforcement.
