US Justice Department Watchdog Launches Review Into Epstein Files Release

The US Department of Justice’s internal watchdog has said it will investigate how the department complied with a law requiring the release of investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General, which operates independently of the department, said it will “evaluate the DOJ’s processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the act”.

The law, passed in November, required the Justice Department to release nearly all of its files connected to sex trafficking investigations involving Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties with wealthy and powerful figures, and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell. It included only limited exemptions to protect the identities of alleged victims and safeguard ongoing investigations.

The review is expected to prolong scrutiny of the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files, an issue that has followed Justice Department leadership under President Donald Trump and which the department had appeared keen to move past after federal prosecutors spent weeks reviewing material.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have criticised the department’s handling of the release, raising concerns over the disclosure of alleged victims’ identities and redactions that appear to exceed the limited exemptions permitted under the law.

Trump’s dissatisfaction with the issue was cited as one of the reasons he dismissed former Attorney General Pam Bondi this month.

A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Inspector General’s review will focus on how the department identified and collected records related to Epstein, its process for redacting and withholding material, and its handling of concerns raised over information released. The office has pledged to publish a report on its findings, though such investigations often take years.

DOJ officials have released more than three million pages of records under the law, arguing that the Trump administration has been more transparent on the issue than its predecessors. However, Trump had initially opposed the release of the files until shortly before Congress passed the law with bipartisan support.

Department officials have said any disclosure of alleged victims’ identities was inadvertent, adding that lawyers were working under a compressed timeframe to review millions of pages of documents.

The Inspector General, which is tasked with investigating waste, fraud and misconduct, has faced criticism for a lack of visible action as the Trump administration reshaped the department and dismissed dozens of prosecutors and agents involved in investigations into Trump and his allies.

The announcement of the Epstein review comes two days after Trump nominated Don Berthiaume, a long-serving investigator in the office, to become permanent Inspector General.

The Office of Inspector General previously investigated Epstein’s death in a New York jail in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. A critical 2023 report faulted federal Bureau of Prisons employees for negligence but did not dispute the FBI’s conclusion that Epstein died by suicide.

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