USDEC 19, 2025
Lawmakers Warn Pam Bondi Of Prosecution As Epstein Files Deadline Hits
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Attorney General Pam Bondi has received warnings from members of Congress that she could face prosecution if the Justice Department conceals or excessively redacts the Epstein files.
It comes as a statutory 30-day deadline for the release of those files expires Friday at midnight.
Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-sponsored the Epstein Transparency Act forcing the release of the files, warned that the law requires a full release and carries criminal penalties for obstruction.
Highlights
- Attorney General Pam Bondi has been warned that she faces prosecution if the Justice Department conceals or over-redacts the Epstein files ahead of the Friday midnight deadline.
- The bipartisan Epstein Transparency Act mandates full release of the Epstein files, with criminal penalties for obstruction or excessive redactions.
- The DOJ's Deputy AG, Todd Blanche, announced the release of several hundred thousand Epstein-related documents beginning Friday, but the timeline remains unclear.
The Epstein files must be released before midnight Friday
Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images
In a video posted on X on Thursday, Khanna said, “Let me be very clear, we need a full release. Anyone who tampers [with] documents, or conceals documents, or engages in excessive redaction will be prosecuted because of obstruction of justice.”
Khanna said the statute applies to all Justice Department officials involved in the release process.
“We will prosecute individuals regardless of whether they’re the attorney general, or a career or political appointee. We need full transparency and justice for the survivors,” he said.
“Rich and powerful men who raped underage girls or who covered up for this abuse will be held accountable. The Epstein class needs to go.”
He captioned the post, “Any person who attempts to conceal or scrub the files will be subject to prosecution under the law.”
The Epstein Transparency Act passed with bipartisan support last month after initial resistance from President Donald Trump.
Trump later agreed to sign the bill and urged the GOP to support it after it gained overwhelming support in Congress, including from members of his own party.
The law requires the Department of Justice and the FBI to release records connected to Epstein, while allowing limited redactions to protect victim identities and sensitive personal information.
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Some lawmakers have raised concerns that the files released Friday could include extensive redactions, particularly as the Trump administration has opened new investigations related to the case.
The issue has remained a point of focus among Trump’s MAGA fanbase, many of whom have called for the full release of Epstein-related records and questioned previous government handling of the case.
On Friday morning, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department would begin releasing documents, though he said the records would not be released all at once.
“I expect that we’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today,” Blanche said on Fox & Friends. “And those documents will come in all different forms – photographs and other materials associated with all of the investigations into Mr Epstein.”
Lawmakers are concerned the files could be heavily redacted
Image credits: Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Blanche did not provide a timeline for when the remaining records would be released.
Members of Congress said the content of Friday’s release will determine whether the department has met the requirements of the law.
Rep. Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored the law with Khanna, said in a 14-minute video that people who have followed the Epstein case for years are familiar with the scope of the government’s records.
“Let’s start with how will you know if they have released all the materials,” Massie said on Thursday.
“Well, one of the ways we’ll know is there are people who have covered this case for years and I’ve talked to them in private and they know what some of the material is that’s back there.”
Massie said he has spoken with attorneys representing Epstein’s victims and said they are aware of witness testimony provided to federal investigators.
“Collectively, they know there are at least 20 names of men who are accused of sex crimes in the possession of the FBI,” Massie said, referring to testimony given to FBI agents.
“If we get a large production on Dec. 19 and it does not contain a single name of any male who is accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape or any of these things, then we know they haven’t produced all the documents,” Massie added. “It’s that simple.”
The expected release comes after House Democrats have periodically published large batches of Epstein-related documents and images obtained from the financier’s estate, including tens of thousands of pages of records and photos showing Epstein with prominent figures and materials from his properties.
The latest batch, published on Thursday, included images of quotes from Vladimir Nabokov’s book Lolita written across a woman's body.
House Democrats released more photos from Epstein's estate on Thursday
Image credits: House Oversight Democrats
"Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth,” one quote written across a woman’s chest read.
Another was scribbled over a woman’s foot, reading, “She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock.”
Other images were of women’s redacted foreign passports, while some showed Epstein with prominent figures in different settings.
One image shows Epstein aboard a private aircraft speaking with linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky.
Image credits: House Oversight Democrats
Another photograph was of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon seated at a desk across from Epstein, while one showed former Alphabet president Sergey Brin at a dinner event.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was also photographed standing next to a woman whose face has been redacted.
Previously released photographs have shown Trump and former President Bill Clinton, as well as filmmaker Woody Allen, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, attorney Alan Dershowitz, and Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Image credits: House Oversight Democrats
“Oversight Democrats will continue to release photographs and documents from the Epstein estate to provide transparency for the American people,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.
“As we approach the deadline for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, these new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice has in its possession. We must end this White House cover-up, and the DOJ must release the Epstein files now.”
