GAO agrees to open investigation into DOJ handling of Epstein files
the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed to investigate how the Justice Department handled the “Epstein files.” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who announced the move and previously pushed for such an audit in a bipartisan letter, said the goal is to ensure DOJ compliance with federal law and to promote transparency.
GAO coordination is expected with the DOJ inspector general,which is also auditing how the department identified,redacted,and released the documents. Merkley and other senators argued the releases were incomplete, noting that many records were heavily redacted initially, before DOJ later released more documents by the end of January.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act-passed by congress and signed by President Donald Trump-required DOJ to release records related to Jeffrey Epstein. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated he wanted to “move past” the Epstein matter, but later clarified he did not mean to stop ongoing consideration, while acknowledging the public still lacks closure.
The Government Accountability Office, an independent agency in the legislative branch, agreed on Tuesday to open an investigation into the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) announced the news over a month after he signed a bipartisan letter asking the GAO to open such an investigation to ensure the DOJ is complying with federal law.
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“I called for an audit into the DOJ after the department ignored the clear deadline to release the Epstein Files laid out in the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Merkley posted on X. “I will keep pushing for transparency and justice!”
Merkley was joined by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) in penning the letter.
The DOJ inspector general’s office is also leading an audit to determine how the department identified, redacted, and released the Epstein files in recent months. Merkley and other senators similarly requested that the inspector general’s office get involved.
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In response to Merkley, the congressional watchdog said it will coordinate with the DOJ inspector general to avoid duplicative work in their investigations.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, compelled the DOJ to release all records pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Merkley introduced the Senate version of the Epstein-related legislation that became law on Nov. 19.
The DOJ released the documents by the Dec. 19 deadline, which some lawmakers argue were incomplete. Many documents were heavily redacted at first, prompting backlash against the Trump administration. The DOJ then released over 3.5 million pages by the end of January.
That isn’t the total estimated figure, however. The department identified about 6 million pages as potentially relevant for disclosure.
After succeeding Pam Bondi this month, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche suggested he wished to move past the Epstein investigations.
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“To the extent that the Epstein files [were] a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward,” he said on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Primetime.
Blanche later backtracked, telling Semafor he “never said we should move past that” and acknowledged that the public hasn’t gotten any “closure” on Epstein nearly seven years after his death.
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