WASHINGTON, United States — A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has threatened legal action against Attorney General Pam Bondi after the Department of Justice (DoJ) failed to fully release government files linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by a court-mandated deadline.
The release, ordered under a law signed by President Donald Trump in November, was expected to make public the full trove of material gathered during two federal investigations into Epstein.
While some documents were released by the Friday deadline, large portions were redacted and other records withheld, sparking backlash from legislators and survivors of Epstein’s abuse.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a leading advocate for full disclosure, accused the Justice Department of undermining both the spirit and the letter of the law.
Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, Massie said he was considering initiating “inherent contempt” proceedings against Bondi — a rarely used congressional power that allows the House or Senate to penalise executive officials without going through the courts.
“The quickest way to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” Massie said, adding that he was working with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna to draft the move.
Khanna said the effort was gaining bipartisan support and could involve imposing daily fines on the attorney general until the remaining files are released. Unlike impeachment, which would require broader congressional backing, contempt proceedings would only need approval from the House of Representatives.
The Department of Justice has rejected claims of non-compliance. Bondi has said the administration is committed to transparency, while her deputy, Todd Blanche, dismissed the threat of congressional action.
“Not even a little bit. Bring it on,” Blanche said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, insisting the department was complying with the law. He cited the scale and sensitivity of the material, noting that the Epstein files run into about a million pages, most containing victim-related information.
“If we produce more documents next week and the week after, that is still compliance,” Blanche said.
However, the partial release has angered both lawmakers and advocates for survivors, who argue delays and redactions perpetuate a lack of accountability around Epstein’s crimes and alleged associates.
Blanche confirmed that some files initially uploaded were later removed from the DoJ website following concerns raised by victims, though at least one document — an image referencing President Trump — was later reinstated after review.
Not all Democrats support immediate punitive action. Senator Tim Kaine described contempt or impeachment efforts as premature, arguing Congress has other tools, including budgetary pressure, to force compliance if delays persist.
President Trump has not publicly commented on the controversy. The DoJ says additional Epstein-related material will be released in the coming weeks, as scrutiny over the handling of the files continues to intensify.
