Democrats Fume as DOJ Misses Key Epstein Documents Deadline

Democrats are attempting to keep the Epstein files in the spotlight after the Department of Justice failed to meet this weekend’s statutory deadline to explain its redactions to the documents released thus far.

“What are they trying to hide?” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted to X on Monday.

Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, the lawmakers responsible for leading the congressional campaign to release files from the DOJ’s investigation into the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, expressed their dissatisfaction with how the department has rolled out the documents. Though the DOJ released thousands of documents in waves last month, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, many were heavily redacted, most were already publicly available and some even disappeared from the department’s website after initially being posted.

The deadline for the DOJ to explain the redactions expired Friday. The department did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment about when it intends to release its explanation for the redactions.

“We are sure it’s just a coincidence, but today is the statuatory date for the DOJ to explain its redactions in the Epstein file productions,” Democrats on the House Oversight Committee tweeted Friday after the deadline expired. “We have not forgotten, and we won’t let up - regardless of the President’s new unconstitutional actions.”

In an interview with NPR last week, Khanna said he and Massie would also be asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to bypass the DOJ and instead appoint a “special master” to ensure all of the documents are released.

“What I want to see over these next few weeks is for the documents actually to start coming out that the American people want to see, and the survivors want to see, which is the documents that name the rich and powerful men who are on Epstein’s rape island,” Khanna told NPR.

Last week, the DOJ declared it would need until at least Jan. 20 to finish reviewing the remaining 5.2 million documents, even after the department added 400 lawyers to the team tasked with inspecting the files.

Khanna told NPR that he and Massie were “less concerned about the delay and are more concerned about the documents that are being withheld.”

“We want to see the survivors’ statements to the FBI where they name other rich and powerful men who abused them or who covered up the crimes,” he said. “And we want to see the draft prosecution memos, which explain why many, many men were involved in the cover-up and abuse.”

House Oversight Democrats also posted a 30-second video to X Monday featuring a photograph of President Donald Trump and Epstein with the text “We Won’t Forget. Release The Files.” overlaid to the tune of newscasters announcing Trump’s weekend attack on Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

“There’s a lot going on in the world that’s important. And that includes our work on the Epstein files,” the video caption reads. “We won’t forget, and we won’t be distracted.”