A bipartisan group of five lawmakers has asked the Justice Department for a briefing by Friday on any new information that could interfere with the department’s ability to release files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by a mid-December deadline. Congress overcame initial opposition from the White House last month when it overwhelmingly passed a bill seeking to compel the release of Justice Department files related to the disgraced financier — documents that have propelled a wave of speculation over whether other high-profile figures were tied to the sexual exploitation of girls. President Donald Trump signed it into law. The lawmakers, in a letter to Attorney General Pamela Bondi, said they were writing to show their interest “in supporting the Department of Justice’s efforts to carry out the provisions of this critical new law.” “In light of the short 30 day deadline to release the Epstein Files, we are particularly focused on understanding the contents of any new evidence, information or procedural hurdles that could interfere with the Department’s ability [to] meet this statutory deadline,” the letter states. The bill orders the Justice Department to make public records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of enactment. That would make the deadline Dec. 19. The bill contains exceptions for information related to ongoing investigations. The letter — signed by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., along with Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M. — points to reports about new information and a new investigation. In November, Bondi announced that she had asked Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to take the lead on investigating any ties Epstein had to former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and a separate prominent investor. Bondi, according to the letter, justified the new investigations at a press conference last month by citing “information [that] has come forward, new information, additional information." “In the interest of transparency and clarity,” the lawmakers wrote, “we request a briefing either in a classified or unclassified setting, to discuss the full contents of this new information in your possession” before Friday. The lawmakers, in the letter, also said protecting the privacy of survivors was a central intent of the law. “We urge the Department to coordinate directly with these attorneys to establish a secure process to fully protect all victim identities,” the letter states.
