A bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers has requested Attorney General Pam Bondi brief them no later than Friday on potential hurdles to releasing the Epstein files as the Justice Department faces a legal deadline to make them public.
The big picture: A bill forcing the DOJ to hand over its documents pertaining to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein overwhelmingly blazed through Congress after months of controversy plagued the Trump administration over its handling of the case and divided the president’s faithful base.
- The law, dubbed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, mandates that the DOJ release its files within 30 days of the bill becoming law, which occurred on November 19.
Driving the news: The bipartisan group of five lawmakers asked for the briefing in a Wednesday letter to Bondi in “interest of transparency and clarity on the steps required to faithfully implement” the act.
- Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) were joined in signing the letter by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
- “In light of the short 30 day deadline to release the Epstein Files, we are particularly focused on understanding the contents of any new evidence, information or procedural hurdles that could interfere with the Department’s ability meet this statutory deadline,” the lawmakers wrote.
- They emphasized that “protecting survivors’ privacy is central to the law’s intent,” urging the DOJ to coordinate with victims’ attorneys to make redactions and prevent privacy violations.
- NBC News was the first outlet to report on the letter.
The intrigue: The letter also points to Bondi’s directive to the U.S. attorney in Manhattan to probe connections between the disgraced financier and former President Bill Clinton, Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman.
- The DOJ and FBI’s conclusion earlier this year stated that investigators uncovered no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” But at a press conference last month, Bondi justified the renewed investigations by saying “new information” had come to light.
- The lawmakers asked for the briefing to “discuss the full contents of this new information.”
- President Trump himself requested the probes after lawmakers unveiled a tranche of Epstein’s emails, in which he conversed with prominent individuals and mentioned the president’s name several times. In one such email, Epstein alleged Trump “knew about the girls.”
State of play: While the Epstein files law asks for a broad swath of documents, it does specify a number of permitted withholdings. Those categories include information that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.”
- The DOJ confirmed it received the letter but did not say if Bondi planned to meet with the lawmakers.
Catch up quick: Trump has blasted the scrutiny as a Democrat-led “hoax” throughout the calls for transparency in the Epstein case.
- The DOJ and the FBI concluded earlier this year that the sex offender kept no “client list” and died by suicide, debunking two popular theories connected to the case.
Yes, but: Despite the administration putting pressure on GOP representatives to back away from the congressional effort to compel the release of the files, the president ultimately signed the bill into law.
Go deeper: Here are all the “Epstein files” that have been released — and which haven’t
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