Democratic lawmakers have pledged to combat what they describe as a "full-blown cover-up" surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files, following the Trump administration's announcement that its investigation into the disgraced financier has effectively concluded. This declaration came after the justice department released over three million pages of documents last Friday, which deputy attorney general Todd Blanche stated represented full compliance with legislation mandating disclosure of all investigative materials.
Justice Department Declares Investigation Closed
In a televised interview on ABC's This Week, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche asserted that the review process was complete. "This review is over," Blanche confirmed. "We reviewed over six million pieces of paper, thousands of videos, and tens of thousands of images, which is precisely what the statute required us to do." The justice department maintains that this substantial document release fulfills their legal obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Political Figures Demand Full Transparency
However, Blanche's statement has provoked strong criticism from multiple senior Democrats and one Republican congressman. Democratic Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, speaking on CNN's State of the Union, accused authorities of orchestrating a deliberate cover-up. "We are witnessing a full blown cover-up," Raskin declared. "They've said there are six million potentially responsive documents there. They've only released three million with more than ten thousand redactions. What about the other three million files?"
Raskin, who serves as ranking member of the House judiciary committee, has formally written to Blanche demanding that Democratic committee members be permitted to examine the released materials in their unredacted form. The congressman emphasized that despite a federal subpoena and legislation compelling full disclosure, Congress continues to receive only selective information. "We're just getting the dribs and drabs of information coming out, the stuff that they want us to see," Raskin stated.
Bipartisan Criticism and Survivor Concerns
The controversy has created unusual political alliances, with Kentucky Republican congressman Thomas Massie joining Democrats in demanding greater transparency. Massie co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act with California Democrat Ro Khanna, who believes the justice department has "released at best half the documents." Khanna described the situation as "one of the largest scandals in our country's history" and emphasized the public demand for "elite accountability."
Meanwhile, lawyers representing more than two hundred of Epstein's victims have filed court papers in New York demanding the justice department remove a website hosting the released documents that publicly identifies survivors. According to ABC News, the legal team's letter to district court judges stated that victims had "an expectation" that previous redaction errors would not be repeated, but "that expectation was shattered" when what they called "the single most egregious violation of victim privacy in one day in US history" occurred.
Political Repercussions and Continued Pressure
The bipartisan push for transparency has created significant political fallout. Massie faces substantial opposition from within his own party, including efforts by some Republicans to remove him from the ballot ahead of November's midterm elections. Former president Donald Trump has repeatedly characterized the Epstein affair as "a Democrat hoax," adding to the political pressure on Massie.
Despite this opposition, Massie remains defiant. In a social media post, the congressman wrote: "It was not a hoax, I cannot be bullied, I am not done, and this is why those in power are doing everything in their power to defeat me." In a separate post featuring video of his House floor speech defending the Epstein law, Massie stated: "How will we know if this bill has been successful? We will know when rich men are being perp walked in handcuffs to the jail. Until then, this is still a cover-up."
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries reinforced the Democratic position during his own ABC interview, asserting that "it's not over and will not be over until there is full and complete transparency as demanded by the survivors, so that there can be full and complete accountability." The ongoing controversy highlights deepening political divisions over how thoroughly authorities have investigated Epstein's network and whether justice has been fully served for his numerous victims.
