The US Department of Justice has come under renewed scrutiny after Attorney General Pam Bondi said the department had released all records required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Several lawmakers argue the disclosure remains incomplete.
In a letter sent to members of Congress on Saturday, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that all materials in the department’s possession relating to Jeffrey Epstein had been made public. The letter also included a list of names appearing in the files.
However, Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who co-authored the transparency law alongside Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, said the department had failed to release key internal documents. Massie is calling for the publication of memos, emails and internal notes outlining past decisions about whether to charge Epstein or his associates.
Earlier this month, millions of additional files connected to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released.
In their letter, Bondi and Blanche said the department had complied with the Act by releasing all records, documents, communications and investigative materials in its possession relating to nine specified categories. They added that no documents were withheld on the grounds of embarrassment, reputational harm or political sensitivity.
The list of names included individuals identified as current or former government officials or politically exposed persons whose names appeared at least once in the files. The department noted that the references vary widely. Some individuals had extensive direct contact with Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, while others were merely mentioned in emails, documents or media reports contained within the material.
Among those named are Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Prince Andrew. All have previously acknowledged past contact with Epstein and Maxwell but have denied any involvement in criminal activity. The department stressed that inclusion in the documents does not imply wrongdoing.
The list also includes historical figures such as Janis Joplin and Elvis Presley, both of whom are deceased.
The letter was addressed to Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dick Durbin, as well as House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan and ranking member Jamie Raskin.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Massie said the Justice Department was invoking deliberative process privilege to avoid releasing certain internal records. He argued that the transparency law explicitly requires disclosure of documents related to prosecutorial decisions.
Ro Khanna also criticised the release, accusing the department of creating confusion by grouping vastly different names together without context. Writing on X, he said placing Janis Joplin, who died when Epstein was 17, on the same list as convicted sex offender Larry Nassar without clarification was misleading.
Khanna called for the full release of files, with only survivors’ identities redacted.
The Department of Justice has not responded publicly to the latest criticisms.
Lawmakers previously raised concerns that some documents were improperly redacted before publication, prompting at least one file to be reissued. Lawyers representing Epstein’s victims have also warned that recent releases contained email addresses and explicit images in which individuals could potentially be identified.
At the time, the department said the issues stemmed from technical or human error and removed the affected files.
The debate over transparency continues as lawmakers press for further disclosures tied to one of the most high-profile criminal investigations in recent US history.
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