By STEPHEN GROVES
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department will allow members of Congress to review unredacted files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein starting Monday, according to a letter sent to lawmakers.
The letter obtained by The Associated Press said that lawmakers will be able to review unredacted versions of more than 3 million files that the Justice Department has released to comply with a law passed by Congress last year.
To access the files, lawmakers need to give the Justice Department 24 hours’ notice. They will be able to review files on computers at the Department of Justice. Only lawmakers, not their staff, can access the files, and they will be allowed to take notes, but not make electronic copies.
The arrangement, first reported by NBC News, reflects the continued demand for information about Epstein and his crimes by lawmakers, even after the Justice Department mobilized large numbers of its staff to comply with a law passed by Congress last year. The Justice Department has come under fire for delays in providing information, failing to redact personal information and photos of victims, and not releasing all 6 million documents collected in connection with Epstein.
Still, lawmakers who have played a key role in pushing for transparency, described the concessions made by the Justice Department as a victory.
“When Congress puts up a fight, Congress will win,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, who sponsored what is known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, posted on social media.
Khanna has pointed to several emails between Epstein and individuals whose information has been redacted that appear to refer to the sexual abuse of underage girls. The release of the case files has sparked questions around the world about the men who were in relationships with well-connected financiers. Even so, lawmakers are pressing for a further accounting of anyone who may have known about Epstein’s abuse or could have helped facilitate it.
Epstein killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019 as he faced charges of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of underage girls. The case was filed more than a decade after he quietly struck a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to throw out nearly identical charges. Epstein is accused of paying hundreds of dollars in cash to underage girls for massages and then molesting them.
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