Topline
The Justice Department’s internal investigator officially opened an audit into the department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act—the law passed last November that mandated the release of files related to the investigations and prosecutions of the notorious financier, following months of criticism over how the department handled the release.
Key Facts
In a press release on Thursday, the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General said it would review how the department identified, collected, redacted and produced the documents included in the multiple releases.
The original text of the Epstein Files Transparency Act demanded the files be released within 30 days of the bill being signed into law, but the final file release did not happen until late January.
The OIG also said it would review the redaction process and “post-release publication concerns,” following criticism that the redactions were too generous in some cases, or failed to protect the identity of victims in other cases.
The Justice Department and former Attorney General Pam Bondi have faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress for the process of complying with the law, although Bondi backed out of testifying before the House Oversight Committee about the file release after she left the job.
Key Background
President Donald Trump made releasing the files related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein a key campaign issue, and tasked Bondi and the Justice Department with releasing the files early into his first term in office. However, the DOJ only released a handful of new documents, and abruptly cancelled the effort last July—prompting backlash from both Republicans and Democrats, which eventually led to the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act with near-unanimous support in Congress. Trump signed the bill into law in November, and the DOJ began the daunting task of compiling and redacting the files, releasing them online in a piecemeal fashion until the final release on Jan. 30. The files include thousands of emails, correspondences and records that have highlighted Epstein’s relationships with numerous rich and powerful figures.
Read the full article here