Beginning Monday, the Justice Department plans to provide unredacted files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to Congress. This was detailed in a letter sent to lawmakers.
Members of Congress will have access to over 3 million files that the department has released to comply with a law enacted last year, as noted in a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
To view the files, lawmakers need to notify the Justice Department 24 hours in advance.
Lawmakers can access the records at the department’s offices, but only they, not their staff, can view the materials. They’re permitted to take notes but cannot create electronic copies.
This arrangement, first reported by NBC News, indicates that lawmakers are still actively pursuing information about Epstein and his actions, even after the department allocated considerable resources to comply with last year’s legislation.
The Justice Department has faced criticism for delays in releasing information, for not properly redacting victims’ personal details and photos, and for not making available the entire 6 million documents gathered in relation to Epstein.
Nonetheless, some transparency advocates regard the Justice Department’s decision as a significant win.
Representative Ro Khanna, who introduced the Epstein File Transparency Act, tweeted: “If Congress pushes back, Congress can prevail.”
Khanna highlighted various emails between Epstein and individuals whose details were redacted, which seemed to reference the sexual abuse of minors.
This release of files has ignited global inquiries regarding individuals who may have interacted with Epstein.
However, lawmakers are still looking to uncover more about who might have been aware of or facilitated Epstein’s misconduct.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sexually abusing and trafficking numerous underage girls.
This legal action came over a decade after he had secretly struck a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida concerning similar allegations.
Epstein was implicated in a case involving payments to underage girls for massages, during which he allegedly sexually abused them.
