DOJ: Courts Cannot Allow A Neutral Expert To Oversee Epstein Files Release

Sure looks like they've got something to hide, huh?
DOJ: Courts Cannot Allow A Neutral Expert To Oversee Epstein Files Release
Credit: Screen capture
By Conover Kennard — January 18, 2026

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Justice officials filed a letter in federal court opposing a request from two lawmakers to appoint a special master to oversee the release of the Epstein Files. Additionally, the DOJ violates the law by failing to meet the congressionally mandated deadline to release the Epstein files.

Trump signed into law the "Epstein Files Transparency Act" on November 19, 2025, which required the DOJ to release all unclassified files related to Epstein within 30 days by December 19, 2025. Now it's January 17th, and they're seeking to block the effort by two members of Congress, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, to force outside oversight of the release of the files, arguing the lawmakers have no legal standing to intervene in the now-closed criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell.

KCRA reports:

Manhattan's top federal prosecutor said Friday that a judge lacks the authority to appoint a neutral expert to oversee the public release of documents in the sex trafficking probe of financier Jeffrey Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

Judge Paul A. Engelmayer was told in a letter signed by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton that he must reject a request this week by the congressional cosponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act to appoint a neutral expert.

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, say they have “urgent and grave concerns” about the slow release of only a small number of millions of documents that began last month.

In a filing to the judge, they said they believed “criminal violations have taken place” in the release process.

Clayton, though, said Khanna and Massie do not have standing with the court that would allow them to seek the “extraordinary” relief of the appointment of a special master and independent monitor.

Engelmayer “lacks the authority” to grant such a request, he said, particularly because the congressional representatives who made the request are not parties to the criminal case that led to Maxwell's December 2021 sex trafficking conviction and subsequent 20-year prison sentence for recruiting girls and women for Epstein to abuse and aiding the abuse.

Khanna responded, saying, “We are informing the Court of serious misconduct by the Department of Justice that requires a remedy, one we believe this Court has the authority to provide, and which victims themselves have requested."

Trump has repeatedly attacked Massie. The Kentucky Republican responded on Xitter:

So far, the DOJ has released less than 1% of the estimated total Epstein files. Whatever is in those files must be truly awful, and Trump's name is all over them.

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