Bipartisan lawmakers accused the Trump Justice Department of slow-walking the Jeffrey Epstein file release, setting off threats of contempt against top Trump administration officials.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky want the House to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in “inherent contempt” after the Department of Justice released what they described as an incomplete batch of files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Appearing together on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” the unlikely allies criticized Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche two days after the DOJ made public thousands of pages connected to Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation Khanna and Massie co-sponsored.
“The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” Massie said during the interview.
Massie said he and Khanna are drafting a resolution that would formally place Bondi in inherent contempt of Congress, while Khanna noted such a move could involve financial penalties tied to each day documents remain unreleased.
“Pam Bondi is breaking the law,” Khanna commented. “And this is the corrupt system, the Epstein class that people are sick of. So, I believe we’re going to get bipartisan support in holding her accountable, and a committee of Congress should determine whether these redactions are justified or not.”
Khanna continued his criticism online the same day, accusing the Justice Department of shielding names of individuals who are not victims.
In a post on X announcing the push for inherent contempt, he said the effort was aimed at taking “action to fight a corrupt system.”
The Epstein Files Transparency Act directs the DOJ to release all unclassified records related to Epstein to the public.
Blanche oversaw the latest document release, which did not include every file contemplated by the statute.
Justice Department officials said the process of reviewing thousands of pages to protect the identities of victims and innocent third parties prevented a full disclosure by the deadline.
Blanche noted the department plans to continue releasing records on a rolling basis as reviews are completed.
He addressed the issue Friday during an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying the department is working through the materials while applying legally required redactions.
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Blanche also rejected claims that President Donald Trump influenced the scope of the release, saying the president did not instruct him to exclude names.
“I don’t know what the president has said, but what I do know is that [Blanche’s] production violates the spirit of the law, and it violates the letter of the law, and it’s a slap in the face of survivors,” Khanna told CNN’s John King during a Friday appearance on “AC360.”
“And so, look, they have underestimated this issue for six months. I don’t get it. Just release the files, get it over with,” he continued.
“The president can talk about affordability and the economy. They’re the ones who continue to play these games that make this a bigger and bigger issue.”
Khanna said some lawmakers are now discussing more aggressive responses.
“Congress is talking about possible impeachment. They’re talking about inherent contempt for the attorney general or deputy attorney general,” he previewed on Friday.
“Any justice department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration,” he added.
Blanche appeared Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and sought to calm speculation surrounding Trump’s name appearing in Epstein-related materials.
He said any reference to Trump will be released publicly and will not be redacted unless required by law.
Asked directly whether information about Trump was being withheld, Blanche responded, “No, not unless it’s supposed to be redacted under the law, which means victim information or any sort of privilege like attorney client privilege.”
“But I have no reason to believe that the lawyers that were working on this case were talking about President Trump because he had nothing to do with Epstein files,” Blanche continued.
“He had nothing to do with the horrific crimes that Mr. Epstein committed. And so I don’t expect there will be anything redacted.”
“But the short answer is we are not redacting information around President Trump, around any other individual involved with Mr. Epstein,” Blanche said.
He added that photographs mentioning Trump or others will be released unless they contain identifiable images of victims.
“If President Trump is mentioned, if there’s photographs that we have of President Trump or anybody else, they, of course, will be released with the exception of any victims or survivors that we’ve identified,” Blanche pointed out.
“Or if we do release the photograph because there’s other individuals in the picture, the survivor’s face or her entire body in some cases will be redacted.”
Some Republicans have warned that the controversy risks becoming a prolonged distraction.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Sunday the administration may have miscalculated by releasing partially redacted materials.
“I think it’s a big mistake,” Paul said during an interview on ABC News’s “This Week.”
“I mean, look, the administration has struggled for months and months with something they initially ginned up and then sort of tried to tamp down,” he continued.
“So, any evidence or any kind of indication that there’s not a full reveal on this, this will just plague them for months and months more.”
Paul urged full transparency moving forward, saying, “So, my suggestion would be: Give up all the information … be transparent and release everything the law requires of you.”
Democrats have also turned renewed attention toward former President Bill Clinton, whose name and images surfaced prominently in the first tranche of released files.
During a separate appearance on “Meet the Press,” NBC News host Kristen Welker asked Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia whether Clinton should respond publicly.
“To be very clear, NBC News does not know the full context behind these images, and simply being in the Epstein files doesn’t imply any criminal wrongdoing,” Welker said before asking if Clinton owed the public an explanation.
“You know, I actually haven’t tracked what President Clinton has said, and if there are unanswered questions, you know, he should address them, and I suspect he will,” Kaine replied.
“But, let’s just make sure that we meet the promise that President Trump made as a candidate, that all these files will be released,” Kaine added.
“Let’s put all the facts and all the material out on the table, and then folks can reach their own judgments about anybody connected with this horrible, horrible case.”
