Representative Ro Khanna, D-Calif., indicated Friday that Congress is considering impeachment hearings for Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche if the released documents do not fully comply with the law. “What we need is a clear timeline of when the rest of the documents will be released and an explanation for why they did not release all of them today,” Khanna said during a press conference following the files’ release.
Representative Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a co-sponsor of the House bill that ordered the Justice department to release the files, accused the DOJ of disregarding the law on Saturday. “Compare Language of Epstein Files Clarity Act directing DOJ to provide internal communications regarding their decisions Versus DOJ letter to Congress asserting privilege to omit materials related to decisions, as they weren’t specified by law,” Massie wrote in a post on X.
From left, Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida on Feb. 12, 2000.
Davidoff Studios Photography | Archive Photos | Getty Images
While Trump and Epstein were previously friends, the former president has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls and women. The appearance of Trump’s name and image was initially limited in the files made public Friday, though images featuring him were recently released by House Democrats, who obtained them directly from Epstein’s estate.
The DOJ stated in a post on X late Friday that it was not “redacting the names of any politicians,” citing comments from Blanche. “The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law – full stop,” Blanche said. “Consistent with the statute and applicable laws,we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim.”
Blanche, who previously served as criminal defence counsel for Trump, reiterated this point in an interview with ABC News on Friday, stating there had been “no effort” to redact any mention of the president in the released files.
The White House directed inquiries regarding the missing photo to the DOJ.
Former President Bill Clinton also appeared in several photos released Friday, though the timing and location of those images remain unclear. One photo shows clinton seated next to a young woman sitting on the armrest of his chair. Clinton has also not been accused of wrongdoing.
Clinton’s spokesperson, Angel Urena, said Friday, “The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever.So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want but this isn’t about Bill clinton.”
Urena added, “There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. we’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that. Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats.”
