• Judge Paul Engelmayer has ordered the government to respond by Friday to accusations of foot-dragging
• Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie say the DOJ has released less than 1% of required documents
• Lawmakers are drafting inherent contempt proceedings that could fine Attorney General Pam Bondi up to $5,000 daily

NEW YORK, NY (TDR) — A federal judge has ordered the Department of Justice to answer for its handling of the Epstein files release after two members of Congress accused the agency of flouting a law they wrote requiring full disclosure. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer issued the order Tuesday, giving the government until Friday to explain why it has released only a fraction of documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The judge’s directive comes after Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) submitted a letter last week asking him to appoint a special master to compel the DOJ to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The law, which Congress passed with near-unanimous support and President Donald Trump signed in November, required all unclassified Epstein-related documents be released by December 19.

DOJ Has Released Less Than 1% of Documents

The numbers paint a stark picture of noncompliance. According to a DOJ letter sent to Judge Engelmayer on January 5, the department has published only 12,285 documents totaling roughly 125,575 pages. More than 2 million documents remain in various stages of review, with some reports suggesting the actual figure could exceed 5 million pages.

“Put simply, the DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act.”

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That blunt assessment came from the lawmakers’ letter to the court. Khanna and Massie accused the department of applying extensive redactions that appear inconsistent with the law’s explicit prohibition on withholding records to protect politically exposed individuals.

The deadline passed nearly a month ago, yet the department continues releasing files on a rolling basis while claiming it needs additional time to protect victims’ identities. Critics argue the DOJ has done the opposite, inadvertently releasing survivors’ names while keeping the identities of powerful individuals hidden behind heavy black redaction bars.

Key Documents Remain Missing

Khanna has been particularly vocal about what the released files do not contain. In interviews with NPR and other outlets, he identified several critical documents the DOJ has failed to produce.

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The list includes FBI witness interview memorandums in which survivors and their lawyers named other wealthy and powerful men who participated in or covered up Epstein’s abuse. Khanna said dozens of these interview records exist, yet the DOJ has not released a single one.

Also missing is a 60-count draft indictment that federal prosecutors prepared against Epstein in 2007, which was ultimately reduced to just two counts in a controversial plea deal. An 82-page prosecution memorandum explaining why 58 charges were dropped has likewise remained hidden.

“The most important are the FBI witness interviews. I know from survivors and survivors’ lawyers that when they had these conversations with FBI agents, they specifically named other men who they were trafficked to.”

Contempt Proceedings Being Drafted

While Judge Engelmayer weighs whether to appoint an independent overseer, Khanna and Massie are preparing a separate weapon: inherent contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The mechanism, which has not been successfully invoked since the 1930s, would allow the House to fine Bondi for each day the department remains out of compliance. Khanna has outlined the framework in multiple interviews, explaining that Bondi would receive a 30-day grace period followed by fines up to $5,000 daily for continued noncompliance.

The lawmakers say they have bipartisan support for the measure, though it would require Republican votes in a GOP-controlled House to actually pass. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has dismissed the threats, telling NBC News he was not taking them seriously. His response: “Bring it on.”

Survivors Want Accountability

The battle over the Epstein files is not merely a political clash. For survivors who endured years of abuse, the documents represent a chance at the accountability they were denied when Epstein died in his jail cell in August 2019.

Maria Farmer, who filed one of the earliest FBI complaints about Epstein back in 1996, called the release of documents confirming her report one of the best days of her life. She also shed tears for the victims who came after her because the FBI failed to act on her warning.

Khanna has framed his fight in terms of those survivors. The law requires their names be protected through redaction, yet that same protection should not extend to the wealthy and powerful men who exploited them.

The judge has given the government until Friday to respond. Will the DOJ finally comply with the law, or will this standoff escalate into the first inherent contempt proceedings in nearly a century?

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