Following a rocky rollout of millions of documents, the Department of Justice’s declaration that it has fulfilled its legal obligations has met fierce resistance from Capitol Hill.
The architects of the landmark law compelling the declassification of the Jeffrey Epstein archives are publicly rebuking the Department of Justice. Lawmakers Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie argue that the DOJ’s recent claim of total compliance is false, pointing to withheld decision memos and a deliberately confusing index of names.
On Saturday, Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, informed congressional judiciary leaders that the agency had exhausted its document production. Their letter included a list of government officials and politically exposed individuals mentioned in the files, ranging from close contacts of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to people merely referenced in archived paperwork.
Missing Memos and Bizarre Inclusions
Representative Massie utilized a Sunday morning broadcast appearance to dismantle the DOJ’s defense. He stated that the department is improperly utilizing legal privileges to hide internal communications that explain why certain co-conspirators escaped prosecution. The transparency act, Massie noted, was specifically written to force those exact memos into the public domain.
Meanwhile, Representative Khanna attacked the integrity of the DOJ’s name list. He highlighted the absurdity of placing long-dead celebrities like Janis Joplin alongside convicted pedophiles without explaining their connection to the files. “Stop protecting predators,” Khanna posted online, demanding the unredacted release of all non-victim information.
The list also names prominent living figures, including Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and Bill Clinton. While none are implicated in crimes simply by being listed, the broad nature of the index has fueled Khanna’s accusation that the DOJ is intentionally diluting the impact of the release. This administrative clash follows earlier blunders where the DOJ accidentally published nude photographs and identifying details of Epstein’s victims.
SOURCES: ABC News, Official DOJ Correspondence, Congressional Statements.
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