The Justice Department is facing a rare bipartisan contempt battle over its handling of newly released files related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — and it’s threatening to become a major constitutional and political crisis for the Trump administration.
Lawmakers including Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie are threatening to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with the *Epstein Files Transparency Act*, accusing the DOJ of slow-walking and selectively concealing key documents, the Washington Post reports.
This fight isn’t just procedural, it’s a political litmus test of how much power the executive branch holds over transparency in investigations involving the wealthy and connected. If the Justice Department can evade accountability here, it sets a precedent that could chill future efforts to hold the powerful to account.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed overwhelmingly in 2025 with broad bipartisan support. It required the Attorney General to publish all unclassified files related to Epstein’s investigations and prosecutions in a searchable format, and to provide unredacted lists of politically exposed persons named. Despite this, significant portions of released files have been heavily redacted, and at least 15 newly released files briefly disappeared from public view, prompting accusations of concealment.
Reps. Khanna (D-CA) and Massie (R-KY) argue that Bondi’s DOJ is not fully complying with the law, effectively slowing the pace of transparency and undermining congressional authority. They are prepared to use inherent contempt proceedings and impose daily fines to enforce compliance.
Bondi’s defenders, and the DOJ itself, insist the department is complying and that redactions are done to protect legally required privileged or private information. But critics see selective disclosure as politically motivated, especially when material referencing powerful individuals — including Trump — remains murky or blurred behind redaction blocks.
This controversy arrives at a critical moment. The American public is already deeply skeptical of federal institutions, and the Epstein files saga feeds that skepticism. With allegations swirling about missing or disappearing files and selective visibility, the GOP risk appearing to protect political allies rather than seek clarity and accountability.
Particularly galling for some lawmakers is that the law passed with near-unanimous votes and included a rare coalition of support from both sides of the aisle. Yet, in practice, compliance has been imperfect at best.
Even more explosive are allegations that some of the files being withheld or redacted may contain references to Donald Trump and other powerful figures beyond Epstein himself, fueling speculation about co-conspirators and high-profile connections.
A contempt showdown between Congress and the Department of Justice is rare, and it’s even rarer when it involves bipartisan resolve to enforce a transparency law. That alone signals the deep unease and outrage across ideological lines about how Epstein’s files have been handled.
For the Trump administration, this is a political quagmire: even if the White House and DOJ insist they’re complying, the perception of concealment — especially with Trump’s name repeatedly mentioned in released material — reinforces a narrative of elite shielding and accountability avoidance.
