Republicans Warn Bondi: Don’t Bury Epstein Files as Transparency Law Takes Effect

Within hours of President Donald Trump signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Republican senators converged on Capitol Hill with a clear admonition for Pam Bondi — a former Florida attorney general who has been involved in related inquiries — to ensure the Department of Justice does not conceal or overly redact the records the law requires released.

The new law, passed with rare bipartisan support, requires the Justice Department to publish unclassified materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell in a searchable format within 30 days. While supporters praised the move as a step toward transparency, many Republicans warned that exemptions for ongoing investigations and material involving minors could be used to withhold or heavily redact key documents.

The measure passed the House by a 427-1 margin and moved through the Senate by unanimous consent. Rather than celebrating, some lawmakers expressed skepticism about how the department will implement the mandate.

'People who feel very strongly about this will feel like they’ve been duped' if the department cites an active investigation to block releases, said Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Republicans are particularly concerned because Bondi has opened inquiries related to Democrats named in Epstein’s correspondence; lawmakers fear the Justice Department could classify those probes as active investigations to justify broad redactions or delays.

Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina urged clarity on any redactions and urged the department to release as much material as possible, explaining the department should provide a detailed, defensible rationale for any withheld content. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana expressed cautious optimism that the department will comply and predicted initial releases would appear within weeks.

The urgency stems partly from longstanding distrust over how the Epstein case was handled. In 2008, then-US attorney Alexander Acosta approved a non-prosecution agreement that allowed Epstein to plead to state prostitution charges instead of facing federal sex-trafficking charges. Epstein served 13 months in a county facility with work-release privileges; that agreement was later criticized as denying victims their rights. Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and died in federal custody a month later; his death was officially ruled a suicide.

House Oversight Committee releases so far amount to tens of thousands of pages of emails and correspondence documenting Epstein’s connections across political, academic and financial circles, with names from both parties appearing. The FBI says its records include more than 300 gigabytes of data and evidence.

The enacted statute permits the department to withhold or redact material that could jeopardize active investigations and to keep content depicting minors sealed. That language, critics say, could create broad 'escape hatches' to limit disclosure.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune emphasized protecting victims while honoring congressional intent to make information public. Senator Eric Schmitt summed up his colleagues' demand succinctly: 'All the credible information that can be released should be released.'

The real test now falls to the Justice Department and to Bondi's handling of the process. Republican senators have pledged close scrutiny of any significant delays or sweeping redactions; how quickly and transparently the department acts will shape public perceptions about the government's commitment to accountability on a highly sensitive matter.