DOJ’s Own Watchdog Is Investigating How The Department Handled The Epstein Files

(Photo by Davide Bonaldo / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

The Justice Department’s own watchdog is investigating the department’s handling of the Epstein files and whether it thoroughly complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed by Congress last November.

The Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump, called on the DOJ to publish “in a searchable and downloadable format” everything it had relating to the investigation and prosecution of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who died while awaiting federal trial in 2019.

Epstein is believe to have victimized at least 1,000 women and underage girls.

Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month in part for her many missteps handling the files, and her combative testimonies before Congress. Acting A.G. Todd Blanche recently told Fox News that the DOJ has now “released everything” it had.

“We are not sitting on a single piece of paper, nothing that should be released,” Blanche said, adding, “If we didn’t release it, it’s because it was not responsive to the law.”

It will now be up to the DOJ Inspector General to determine if that’s true.

The office of I.G. William M. Blier announced Thursday that it was “initiating an audit of DOJ’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

“Our preliminary objective is to evaluate the DOJ’s processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the Act,” the statement read.

Under scrutiny will be the heavy redactions that drew congressional scorn when entire pages were blacked out, yet the names and images of some of the victims were not.

The OIG plans to release a public report when the audit is complete.

The Epstein story remains very much in the news — as speculation continues to swirl. On April 9, First Lady Melania Trump held a sudden press conference to refute allegations that she had anything but a casual relationship with Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years for sex trafficking.

“I have never been friends with Epstein,” the first lady said. “Donald [Trump] and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach. To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell. My email applied to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note.”

Donald Trump has denied any wrongdoing connected to his chummy relationship with Epstein, and has called the whole subject a “hoax.”

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