DOJ Inspector General Launches Investigation Into Compliance With Epstein Files Transparency Act

The Department of Justice's internal watchdog said on Thursday that it is investigating the DOJ's compliance with a law requiring that it fully disclose department files about the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The audit by the Office of the Inspector General comes after months of complaints that the DOJ has failed to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding many files in its possession about Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Deputy Inspector General William Blier, in a statement, said, "Our preliminary objective is to evaluate the DOJ's processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the Act." "If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider addressing other issues that may arise during the course of the audit," Blier said. The OIG "will issue a public report with the audit's results when our work is complete," he said. Brittany Henderson, an attorney who represents more than 100 Epstein victims with her partner Brad Edwards, told MS Now in a statement, "It should not have taken this long to begin holding the U.S. Department of Justice accountable, but this audit will bring a long-awaited sense of temporary relief to many victims of Epstein." "We can only hope this audit is conducted in a meaningful way--one that leads to real accountability and, ultimately, reparations for the victims who were re-victimized and harmed by these failures," Henderson said. Another attorney, Arick Fudali, who represents a group of 10 Epstein survivors, told MS Nows, "With the hopes that this is not just another partisan performance for this administration to pretend they care about Epstein's survivors, I look forward to reviewing what the audit recovers from this clear attempt at thwarting transparency and accountability." Congress passed the Epstein files law in November, months after then-Attorney General Pam Bondi reneged on her promise to release the DOJ's investigatory file on Epstein. Epstein, a former friend of President Donald Trump, killed himself in a federal jail in New York City in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on child sex trafficking charges. Trump fired Bondi on April 2, reportedly after being unhappy with the way the attorney general had handled issues relating to the Epstein files.