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GAO agrees to open investigation into DOJ handling of Epstein files
Merkley was joined by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) in penning the letter.
The DOJ inspector general’s office is also leading an audit to determine how the department identified, redacted, and released the Epstein files in recent months. Merkley and other senators similarly requested that the inspector general’s office get involved.
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In response to Merkley, the congressional watchdog said it will coordinate with the DOJ inspector general to avoid duplicative work in their investigations.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, compelled the DOJ to release all records pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Merkley introduced the Senate version of the Epstein-related legislation that became law on Nov. 19.
The DOJ released the documents by the Dec. 19 deadline, which some lawmakers argue were incomplete. Many documents were heavily redacted at first, prompting backlash against the Trump administration. The DOJ then released over 3.5 million pages by the end of January.
That isn’t the total estimated figure, however. The department identified about 6 million pages as potentially relevant for disclosure.
After succeeding Pam Bondi this month, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche suggested he wished to move past the Epstein investigations.
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“To the extent that the Epstein files [were] a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward,” he said on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Primetime.