Lawmakers weigh impeachment articles for Bondi over Epstein file omissions

WASHINGTON — Legislators are unhappy with the decision of the Ministry of Justice heavily edit or hide documents Due to the legally required release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, he threatened on Saturday to launch impeachment proceedings against those responsible, including Pam Bondi, the US attorney general.

Both Democrats and Republicans criticized the omissions, while Democrats also accused the Justice Department of deliberately withholding the release of at least one image of President Trump, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) suggesting it could foreshadow “one of largest cover-up in American history“

Trump administration officials said the release complied fully with the law and that its edits were made only to protect victims of Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender accused of abusing hundreds of women and girls before his death in 2019.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), author Epstein File Transparency Actwhich demanded the release of investigative records, criticized Bondi in a social media video, accusing her of denying the existence of many records for months only to release an “incomplete release with too many amendments” in response to and in violation of the new law.

Khanna said he and the bill's co-sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), are “exploring all options” to respond and force more disclosure, including seeking to “impeach people in custody,” asking courts to hold officials blocking releases for contempt and “prosecuting those who obstruct justice.”

“We will work with survivors to demand full disclosure of these files,” Hanna said.

He later added in an interview with CNN that he and Massie were preparing articles of impeachment against Bondi, although they had not yet decided whether to bring them forward.

Massey in his social media post: said Hannah was right dismissing Friday's release as insufficient, saying it was “completely inconsistent with the spirit and letter of the law.”

Lawmakers' contention that the Justice Department's document dump did not comply with the law echoed similar complaints Saturday across the political spectrum as the full scope of redactions and other suppressions came into focus.

Frustration had already escalated late Friday night, after Fox News Digital reports. that the names and details of not only the victims, but also “politically exposed persons and government officials” were removed from the records, which is a violation of the law and which Justice Department officials deny.

Among the critics was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who cited the Fox report in an exasperated post late Friday to X.

“The whole point was NOT to protect “politically powerful individuals and government officials.” This is exactly what MAGA has always wanted, and this is what “draining the swamp” really means. This means exposing them all, the rich powerful elite who are corrupt and committing crimes, NOT redacting their names and protecting them,” Greene wrote.

Senior Justice Department officials later called Fox News to dispute the report. But the deletion of a file published in Friday night's edition that captured a desk in Epstein's home containing a drawer filled with photos of Trump has heightened bipartisan fears that references to the president were illegally withheld.

This fall, the House Oversight Committee released documents from the Epstein family estate that included Trump's name. more than 1000 times – more than any other public figure.

“If they take this down, imagine how much more they are trying to hide,” Schumer wrote on X. “This could be one of the biggest cover-ups in American history.”

Several victims also said the release was insufficient. “It's really kind of another slap in the face,” Alicia Arden, who went to police to report that Epstein abused her in 1997, told CNN. “I wanted all the files to be released as they promised.”

Trump, who signed the legislation after working to prevent it from being voted on, has remained remarkably silent on the issue. He made no mention of it in his lengthy speech in North Carolina on Friday night.

But White House officials and Justice Department officials rejected the idea that the information released was incomplete or inconsistent with the law, or that the names of politicians were redacted.

“The only edits that apply to documents are those required by law—period,” said Rep. Atty. General Todd Blanche. “In accordance with our charter and applicable laws, we do not redact the names of individuals or politicians unless they are victims.”

Other Republicans defended the administration. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said the administration is “providing unprecedented transparency in the Epstein case and will continue to release documents.”

Epstein died in a Manhattan prison are awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking. He was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a child for prostitution in Florida but served only 13 months in custody, which was widely condemned as a plea bargain for a wealthy and well-connected defendant.

Epstein's abuses have drawn enormous attention, including from many in Trump's political base, in part because of unanswered questions about which of his many powerful friends may also have been involved in crimes against children. Some of those questions revolved around Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years before they had what the president says was a falling out.

In recent months, evidence has emerged that Trump may have known about Epstein's crimes during their friendship.

Epstein wrote in a 2019 email released by the House Oversight Committee that Trump “knew about girls” In a 2011 email to Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of conspiring with Epstein to help him sexually abuse girls, Epstein wrote that “the dog that didn’t bark was Trump. [Victim] spent hours with him in my house…he was never mentioned.”

Trump denies any wrongdoing.

The records released Friday contained few, if any, major new revelations but included a complaint against Epstein filed with the FBI back in 1996 that the FBI did little about, confirming long-standing fears among Epstein's victims that his crimes may have stopped years earlier.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), one of the president's most consistent critics, wrote on X that Bondi should appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain under oath the extensive amendments and omissions, which he called “willful violations of the law.”

“The Trump Department of Justice has had months to keep its promise to release all of Epstein’s files,” Schiff wrote. “Epstein survivors and the American people need answers now.”