Two prominent members of the United States Congress have taken the extraordinary step of asking a federal judge to appoint an independent official to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release the complete trove of documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Bipartisan Push for Court Intervention
In a significant bipartisan move, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California and Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky submitted a formal request to US District Judge Paul Engelmayer on Thursday. They are urging the court to appoint a special master, an independent legal expert, to oversee and compel the DOJ's compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The lawmakers' action comes after the Justice Department missed a crucial legal deadline. The Act mandated the full disclosure of Epstein-related files by 19 December of last year, a requirement the DOJ has failed to meet. In a sharply worded letter, Khanna and Massie stated that the department's conduct represents a "flagrant violation" of its legal obligations and has compounded the trauma experienced by survivors of Epstein's abuse.
"Less Than 1%" Released, Figures Questioned
The congressmen cited a recent DOJ court filing which revealed that, to date, only 12,285 documents have been made public. This figure, they noted, constitutes less than 1% of the total material in possession, with a further two million documents reportedly still under review.
Khanna and Massie expressed deep scepticism about the department's accounting. "Because these figures are self-reported and internally inconsistent with prior representations, there is reasonable suspicion that the DOJ has overstated the scope of responsive materials, thereby portraying compliance as unmanageable and effectively delaying disclosure," their letter argued.
Failure to Report and a Breach of Trust
The representatives also highlighted another critical lapse: the DOJ's failure to submit mandated reports to the House and Senate judiciary committees. These reports, due within 15 days of the disclosure deadline, were supposed to detail any redactions or withheld records, providing a clear audit trail.
"To date, no such report has been provided. Without it, there is no authoritative accounting of what records exist, what has been withheld, or why, making effective oversight and judicial review far more difficult," they wrote. This lack of transparency has led the lawmakers to a stark conclusion: "Put simply, the DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act."
Their proposed solution is the appointment of a special master with the authority to monitor the entire production process and report directly to the court on its progress and any potential misconduct. "Absent an independent process... we do not believe the DOJ will produce the records that are required by the Act," Khanna and Massie warned, underscoring the necessity for external oversight to achieve the full transparency promised by law.
