Representatives Ro Khanna (D-California) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) announced their intention on Sunday to push for contempt proceedings against Attorney General Pam Bondi due to her failure to release additional documents concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The pair has authored legislation that Congress overwhelmingly passed and which President Donald Trump signed last month, mandating that the Justice Department disclose a significant amount of Epstein-related files within 30 days. To date, the department has released over 100,000 pages of documents, although many have been heavily redacted.
Massie, speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” stated, “The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi.” Khanna elaborated that pursuing contempt findings is strategically beneficial since it could be enacted by the House without needing Senate approval. They plan to allow Bondi a 30-day grace period before imposing daily fines for non-compliance with the document release.
The proposed contempt resolution would enable a congressional committee to examine the redactions made by the Justice Department to ensure their legitimacy. Khanna emphasized that their intention is not to target Bondi personally, but to access the documents crucial for survivors and to hold accountable those wealthy individuals associated with Epstein’s crimes.
Despite the new law requiring the release of all documents by last Friday, the Justice Department indicated that further redactions and releases would take additional weeks. Khanna expressed his concerns regarding “selective concealment” of records linked to Epstein and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. He requested access to crucial documents, including a draft of a 60-count federal indictment of Epstein from 2007, as well as the related prosecution memo.
In response, Bondi’s Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissed the threats of contempt as insignificant, claiming that they are complying fully with the law. He encouraged their critics to proceed with their actions while maintaining that the Justice Department is operating correctly.
The recently enacted law mandates the public release of materials that are generally kept private, including grand jury testimonies and internal communications concerning Epstein and Maxwell. It also includes documents relating to Epstein’s controversial 2019 death, officially ruled a suicide while in federal custody. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking charges and is currently serving a 20-year sentence.
Controversially, over 20 files initially posted by the Justice Department were later removed without explanation. An analysis revealed that one of the deleted images featured former President Trump among women in bikinis, which caused an uproar due to his controversial friendship with Epstein that ended years ago. However, the department re-posted many of these files after determining they did not contain images of victims.
Blanche clarified that the department is not restricting information related to Trump for political reasons, even as questions concerning the transparency of their document handling lingered. In response to the release of a heavily redacted grand jury document, which largely details testimonies from women alleging abuse by Epstein as minors, the Justice Department posted a link to a less redacted version amid growing scrutiny.
As the developments unfold, Khanna highlighted that the Justice Department’s actions might reflect their awareness of increasing pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Lawmakers expressed frustrations with the department’s progress in meeting the law’s requirements, with calls for transparency and decisive action to ensure compliance and accountability regarding Epstein’s and Maxwell’s extensive networks of abuse.