Epstein files fallout continues with push for US Attorney-General Pam Bondi to be held in contempt
There is a push to hold US Attorney-General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress for failing to abide by the legal deadline. (AP: Mark Schiefelbein)
In short:
Two congressmen are drafting documentation that will find US Attorney-General Pam Bondi in contempt for not releasing all of the Epstein files by the legal deadline.
The Department of Justice released the first tranche of investigative files into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, saying hundreds of thousands more would be released in coming weeks.
What's next?
The House of Representatives would need to vote on the contempt resolution.
Two congressmen say they will recommend United States Attorney-General Pam Bondi be held in contempt of Congress for failing to meet a legally mandated deadline to release the entire tranche of the Epstein files.
The House of Representatives would need to vote on the contempt resolution.
The US Department of Justice was ordered last month to release all unclassified documents it held on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by midnight Friday, local time.
That day, Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche said his department would fail to meet that deadline because it needed more time to redact the information of about 1,200 survivors in the hundreds of thousands of pages due to be released.
Since then, thousands of photos, court documents, grand jury exhibits, phone message notes and other documents have been published on the department's website.
But the condemnation from both survivors and politicians over the full trove being held back has been unrelenting.
Two congressmen who spearheaded the Epstein Files Transparency Act — democrat Ro Khanna and republican Thomas Massie — have now said they are drafting documentation that will find Ms Bondi in contempt for not abiding by the legal deadline.
Ro Khanna (left) and Thomas Massie (centre), with Marjorie Taylor-Greene (right), at a news conference in November. (AP: J. Scott Applewhite)
Mr Khanna told The Washington Post Ms Bondi would likely be given a 30-day grace period, after which she would receive daily fines until she released all the files.
He also said the pair were pursuing contempt findings because it would not need Senate approval.
"The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi," Mr Massie said on CBS News, alongside Mr Khanna.
In a post on X, Ms Bondi encouraged "any victim to please come forward with any information pertaining to any individuals who engaged in illicit activity at their expense" in relation to Epstein.
"We believe in the equal standard of justice in this country and will ensure that Justice is served," she said.
After the first release of files, the Department of Justice was criticised for publishing documents that were entirely redacted.
On Sunday, local time, the department announced it had re-released a 119-page document that had earlier been completely blacked.
"Here is the document now with minimal redactions. Documents and photos will continue to be reviewed consistent with the law and with an abundance of caution for victims and their families," the X post said.
The document is a grand jury transcript from a 2021 case against Epstein's co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
A photo of President Trump that was removed from the trove of files over the weekend has also been re-published.
The Department of Justice removed this image from the released files before republishing it. (Supplied: US Department of Justice)
The photo was of a desk with an open drawer with a photo of Mr Trump surrounded by women.
The Justice Department said on X that after a review, "it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction".
Epstein file retractions explained
Mr Blanche has also explained why his department pulled down 15 files over the weekend from the Epstein files database.
He told NBC morning show, Meet the Press, that a New York judge had ordered his department to listen to victim survivors if they held concerns that any of the published files inadvertently revealed their information or photos.
Todd Blanche has denied claims retractions from the Epstein files have been made to protect Donald Trump. (AP)
"We learned after releasing that photograph that there were concerns about those women … so we pulled that photo down," Mr Blanche said.
The deputy attorney-general was quick to dispel allegations the retractions were to protect US President Donald Trump.
"It has nothing to do with President Trump. There are dozens of photos of President Trump with Mr Epstein. The absurdity of us pulling down a single photo because President Trump was in it is laughable," he said.
Mr Blanche did not say whether anything published did contain information identifying survivors, but said they were being investigated and would be re-published either as they were or in a redacted form.
The Department of Justice also released a statement that said "photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information".