Senate Democrats seek Jeffrey Epstein files from Trump administration through obscure law
The request is the latest salvo in an effort by Democrats and some Republicans in Congress to press the Trump administration to release the so-called Epstein files after reneging on its earlier promises to do so.
Eight senators signed a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi seeking the files; Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and all seven Democrats who sit on the committee.
The letter cites a section of federal law that says that an executive agency shall submit "any information requested of it relating to any matter within the jurisdiction of the committee" when sought by "any five members" of the Senate Governmental Affairs panel.
"After missteps and failed promises by your Department regarding these files, it is essential that the Trump Administration provide full transparency," the letter said.
The letter notes that in 2024, President Donald Trump, while campaigning for the White House, said in a social media post that he would declassify the Epstein files.
"When asked again whether he would release an Epstein client list, President Trump stated, 'Yeah, I'd certainly take a look at it. […] I'd be inclined to do the Epstein. I'd have no problem with it,' " the letter said.
"Shortly after becoming Attorney General, you indicated that the Epstein client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' "
CNBC has requested comment from the Justice Department on the letter.
Trump and Bondi, for weeks, have been criticized for the Justice Department's decision not to release the files despite prior promises.
The Justice Department, to at least mitigate some of that backlash, has asked several federal judges to release the transcripts of grand jury testimony collected to generate criminal indictments of Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. On Tuesday night, the Justice Department laid out its court filings its justifications for seeking the release of the testimony.
"There is undoubtedly a clearly expressed interest from the public in Jeffrey Epstein's and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes," the filings in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said.
But those grand jury transcripts are not expected to contain anywhere close to the amount of information in the Epstein case files held by the Justice Department.
Epstein died in August 2019 in a federal jail, weeks after being charged with child sex trafficking. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted in 2021 of grooming underage girls for Epstein to abuse.
Trump on Tuesday told reporters that Epstein "stole" several workers from the spa of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, which led to a falling out between the two men.
One of those workers was Virginia Giuffre, who in the past said that she was spotted by Maxwell while working at the club at age 17, and then recruited to work for, and be abused by, Epstein and other men.
Giuffre died by suicide in April.
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