Senators seek probe of DOJ over documents
Newly released documents by the late disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including a sheaf of fully redacted pages, are seen in documents released by the Justice Department and printed and arranged for photography by Reuters in Washington, December 19, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate the Justice Department’s release and redaction of documents related to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The letter, signed by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, alleges that the DOJ failed to comply with a law that sought to force the release of the Epstein files while still protecting victims.
“Contrary to Congress’s explicit directive to protect victims, these recordings included email addresses and nude photos in which the names and faces of publicly identified and non-public victims could be identified,” the lawmakers wrote. “But when it comes to information identifying powerful economic and political figures who are alleged co-conspirators or material witnesses, the DOJ appears to have largely redacted these documents.”
The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan legislative agency authorized to audit and investigate the federal government. A GAO spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the agency had received and was reviewing the request.
The DOJ has been repeatedly criticized for hiding parts of the Epstein files from the public, in violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed in November after months of opposition. This law required the full release of documents by December 19.
A DOJ spokesperson called claims that the agency was not following the law a “tired narrative.”
“It’s not because you want something to be true. This department has produced millions of pages in accordance with the law, disclosed the unresponsive material to the public and Congress, and allowed members of Congress to review unredacted and duplicate records at their convenience in the name of full transparency,” the spokesperson said in an email Wednesday.
Although the DOJ has released millions of documents to date, it missed the December deadline and many more Epstein file entries have yet to be made public, sparking outcry from Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate have asked the DOJ inspector general to investigate the department’s handling of the Epstein cases. The House Oversight Committee voted last week to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi as part of its investigation into Epstein, who died in 2019.
The letter asks Acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown to review the “protocols and practices” used by the DOJ in reviewing, drafting and releasing the Epstein files and report to Congress. It specifically asks the GAO to investigate whether the release of the “records served to cover up child sexual abuse.”
“This horrific scandal is one where powerful and wealthy men groomed, abused and raped young women, men and children,” the senators wrote. “It is critical to understand what led the DOJ to fail to redact victims’ information and to re-victimize these individuals while violating the Epstein Open Records Act in its suppression of information relating to their alleged attackers.”
