Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday he will move to force a Senate vote on legal action against the Justice Department over its failure to fully release records tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, escalating a growing bipartisan dispute over compliance with a recently enacted transparency law. Schumer’s resolution would direct Senate leadership to initiate or join civil litigation in federal court to compel full compliance; he plans to force consideration of the measure when the Senate returns from recess in January, though passage could require unanimous consent.
Schumer’s announcement follows the Justice Department missing a congressionally mandated deadline to make public the complete, unclassified Epstein files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law in November. While thousands of pages were released Friday, lawmakers and victims’ advocates argue the disclosure fell well short of what the statute requires.
Schumer said in a statement: “The law Congress passed is crystal clear: release the Epstein files in full so Americans can see the truth. Instead, the Trump Department of Justice dumped redactions and withheld the evidence — that breaks the law.” Schumer called the limited disclosure a “blatant cover-up” and accused Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of shielding President Donald Trump from scrutiny.
Attorneys representing Epstein survivors sharply criticized the release, saying large portions remain hidden: “We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of pages of documents still unreleased,” they argued, stating that excessive redactions and omissions violate the law. Another group of survivors said the public “received a fraction of the files,” calling for hearings, formal demands, and court action.
Justice Department has defended its pace, saying it is balancing transparency with victim protections. In a fact sheet released Sunday, the DOJ said more than 200 attorneys are reviewing files individually to ensure legally required redactions and stressed that no redactions are intended to shield public figures: “this is an arduous process, as each document and photograph must be individually reviewed by DOJ and the Southern District of New York for potential redactions to protect victims or potential victims,” the department said. And on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche acknowledged the agency missed the deadline, but said ongoing reviews are necessary to prevent further harm, dismissing threats of legal action.
Epstein died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department has said he abused more than 1,200 women and girls.
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