Murkowski & Blumenthal Announce Inspector General Audit of DOJ’s Failure to Release the Full Epstein Files
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) announced that, at their request, the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) has initiated an audit of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation requiring the release of all records and documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. While survivors have called bravely and repeatedly for full transparency, DOJ has failed to comply with their requests and the law.
“This is a critical step toward the transparency and accountability survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes both deserve and demand,” Murkowski and Blumenthal said. “In light of the continued stonewalling, an independent assessment of the Department of Justice’s apparent refusal to release the full Epstein files is vital. It is frustrating that Congress has been forced to continue pressing the Department to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but we will not rest until the survivors receive the justice they are entitled to.”
“We’re encouraged by the news of the Office of the Inspector General starting an audit of the Justice Department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, an action World Without Exploitation and survivors have long demanded,” said Lauren Hersh, CEO and Co-Founder of World Without Exploitation. “The Justice Department’s failures in the selective and incomplete files release caused devastating harm to survivors and undermined trust in the institutions responsible for safeguarding sensitive information. Exposing Epstein survivors’ names and identifying information has been retraumatizing and deeply painful to them and has caused a chilling effect on survivors everywhere, reinforcing their deepest fears that they will not be protected if they speak out against their perpetrators. True accountability means learning from what went wrong and taking meaningful corrective action. We’ll continue to fight until we get to the truth.”
In December, Murkowski, Blumenthal, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) led a bipartisan group of senators in writing Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume requesting the audit. The full text of their letter is available here and copied below.
Dear Acting Inspector General Berthiaume:
We write to you following the December 19 deadline imposed by the Epstein Files Transparency Act for the Department of Justice (“DOJ” or “the Department”) to release all records and documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. By the Department’s own admission, it is in violation of the law—before DOJ had even begun to release the files, Deputy Attorney General Blanche admitted that it would not disclose them all by the December 19 deadline. And DOJ has lived up to that promise, failing to fully disclose the files in violation of the Act.
Not only has DOJ withheld files, but those records that were disclosed are largely information that was already public. Even those records are so heavily redacted that there are serious questions as to whether the Department is properly applying the limited exceptions for redaction that are permitted under the Act. Moreover, several records appear to have been removed, without explanation, from the files the Department did release.
Given the Administration’s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential. As such, we request that the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (“DOJ OIG”) perform an audit of the Department’s compliance with the statute.
In passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act with overwhelming margins in both the House and the Senate, Congress demonstrated a clear, bipartisan mandate for public transparency in the Epstein case. The legislation expressly enumerates the limited circumstances in which withholding or redaction is permitted. Any withholding or redaction beyond those specified circumstances is against the law. But because Congress and the public do not have complete access to the Epstein documents, we are not able to fully assess for ourselves whether records were inappropriately withheld or redacted. DOJ OIG—with access to the full Epstein files and with independence from the larger Department—is ideally positioned to do a complete and independent assessment of the Administration’s compliance with the Act.
Despite calls from Epstein survivors for complete release of the documents, this Administration has shown consistent hostility towards transparency and a perceived willingness to weaponize the case for political ends. In February, Attorney General (“A.G.”) Bondi gave binders of supposedly newly declassified Epstein files—not to survivors, but to reported “right-wing influencers.” She also claimed that Epstein’s so-called “client list” was “sitting on [her] desk right now to review.” Yet, in July, DOJ and FBI released an unsigned memo directly contradicting her, and claiming it had found no evidence of Epstein having kept a client list. In August, Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a lower security prison after two days of meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. In November, President Trump expressly and publicly urged A.G. Bondi to investigate prominent Democrats and banks connected to Epstein. Just days later, A.G. Bondi announced she would follow the President’s command. These actions, including inconsistent public statements about the contents of the files, have raised fundamental questions about the Department’s willingness to faithfully and impartially comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. These questions have only grown in volume since the incomplete release of files on December 19.
Given DOJ OIG’s ability to access the full set of Epstein files and its independence from the Department, it is ideally placed to perform an audit to ensure the Department’s compliance with the law. Such an audit is essential not only to ensure the Department has acted as the law requires, but also to maintain the public’s trust in the disclosure of the files and in the Department’s handling of the case. Specifically, DOJ OIG should ensure that: (1) redactions were properly applied to protect all survivors; (2) redactions were not used to shield abusers, perpetrators, or enablers; (3) records were not withheld for any reason other than those enumerated in the statute; (4) all withholding of records was appropriate under the statute and narrowly tailored; and (5) the Department did not consider politics in deciding whether or how to release documents.
We appreciate your attention to this important request. Full transparency—as called for bravely and repeatedly by survivors—is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes. Survivors deserve full disclosure. They also deserve the peace of mind that would be afforded by an independent audit of the Department’s compliance.
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