The U.S. Department of Justice's internal watchdog has launched an investigation into whether the agency complied with a congressional mandate to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, a move driven by mounting bipartisan criticism over the pace and scope of the disclosures.
In a statement Thursday, the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General said it would examine the "identification, collection, and production of responsive material" tied to Epstein, and would also review "guidance and processes for redacting and withholding material" under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The watchdog added it may address additional issues that arise during the audit.
President Donald Trump signed the law in November 2025, requiring the release of all files on Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days. The DOJ has since released files in batches, totaling over three million documents via an online database. However, some were later removed due to privacy concerns from survivors, reducing the publicly available count to roughly 2.7 million, according to CBS News, the BBC's U.S. partner.
A top justice official noted in January that the government holds about six million files, but some would remain confidential due to survivor privacy or active investigations. Frustration has simmered among lawmakers and the public, with some accusing the department of shielding powerful figures—claims the DOJ denies.
Last month, the DOJ released summaries of interviews with a woman who made unsubstantiated sexual assault allegations against Trump, saying the documents were accidentally withheld. Trump, mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein files, has denied wrongdoing.
Representatives Ro Khanna, a Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Republican, who championed the transparency law, had pushed for the inspector general's review. Massie, in a recent BBC interview, expressed anger over the lack of prosecutions, stating, "Men need to be perp-walked in handcuffs to the jail."
The investigation follows Trump's firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month, partly over her handling of the Epstein files. She was replaced by Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal lawyer, who said the Epstein files "should not be a part of anything going forward."
Survivor Annie Farmer criticized a reported proposal for Trump to pardon Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation with a House Oversight Committee investigation, calling a pardon "profoundly insulting" and urging the DOJ to instead pursue a criminal investigation into Epstein and Maxwell's enablers.