The Justice Department’s chief watchdog announced a probe Thursday into the release of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with a particular eye toward whether the department released everything it was supposed to while protecting the names of victims.
Acting Inspector General William Blier promised a public report at the end of the investigation, which focuses on how the department went about complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
That law, signed last year by President Trump, ordered the department to produce all of its documents, videos and photos from years of investigation into Epstein, with the exception of information that could identify victims. The act gave a 30-day deadline for the release.
DOJ blew past the deadline and has come under fire for over-redacting some information, such as files that appear to relate to Mr. Trump, while failing to remove some information that identified victims.
“Our preliminary objective is to evaluate the DOJ’s processes for identifying, redacting and releasing records in its possession as required by the act,” Mr. Blier said.
He said they will look at how the department gathered and released the data and how it handled the complaints that have flowed in during and after the release.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi had told Congress the department did the best it could, given the tight deadline.
Hundreds of employees were assigned to the effort to review the files.
Mr. Trump fired Ms. Bondi this spring, with his anger over her handling of the release cited as one factor in his decision-making.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus on Capitol Hill, hailed the Office of Inspector General’s probe and said the Justice Department “completely mishandled” the files’ release.
“OIG’s investigation is a critical step to hold the Department accountable for its egregious mishandling of the files release and to move survivors closer to long-overdue justice,” she said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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