Lawmakers will be able to review the Justice Department’s unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files on Monday morning, following criticism regarding the heavy black ink used to cover large swaths of the released documents.
Senators and representatives will be given access to unredacted copies of more than 3 million documents, Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis wrote in a letter to all 535 members of Congress, according to multiple reports.
The review process will take place in person on computers in a DOJ reading room, provided the lawmakers give the department 24 hours’ notice. While the congressmen can’t bring electronic devices, they can take notes.
The documents will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The review will include only the 3 million files publicly available, not the full 6 million documents that the DOJ says it has in its possession.
The review is “in keeping with the Department of Justice’s commitment to maximum transparency regarding our compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Mr. Davis said in the letter.
“We are confident that this review will further demonstrate the Department’s good faith work to appropriately process an enormous volume of documents in a very short time,” he continued.
Last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that “if any member of Congress wishes to review any portions of the response of production in any unredacted form, they’re welcome to make arrangements with the department to do so, and we’re happy to do that.”
A day after the DOJ released a trove of documents and said it fully satisfied its obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Rep. Jamie Raskin said House Judiciary Committee Democrats intend to seize the opportunity laid out by Mr. Blanche.
The Maryland Democrat requested an “urgent” review of the unredacted files related to the late financier and sex offender to evaluate compliance with federal law.
The lead sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act also formally requested access to the unredacted documents to “fulfill Congress’ oversight responsibilities” and ensure that survivors “receive the transparency and accountability they deserve.”
“We have seen a blanket approach to redactions in some areas, while in other cases, victim names were not redacted at all,” Reps. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, and Ro Khanna, California Democrat, wrote to Mr. Blanche. “Congress cannot properly assess the Department’s handling of the Epstein and Maxwell cases without access to the complete record.”
The latest release included several correspondences with high-profile figures, such as Elon Musk and Bill Gates, but the senders of many salacious emails were also redacted.
“Concealing the reputations of these powerful men is a blatant violation of the Epstein Transparency Act we passed,” Mr. Khanna said on social media.
The law allowed for only narrow redactions, largely to protect the identities of victims.
Mr. Khanna praised the development in a post Friday: “When Congress pushes back, Congress can prevail. @RepThomasMassie & I have always believed that Congress must not be a doormat. Not when it comes to the Epstein files.”
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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