By MICHAEL R. SISAK and SEUNG MIN KIM, Related Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Division stated Wednesday that ending the discharge of the entire Jeffrey Epstein information might take a “few extra weeks,” additional delaying compliance with a Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress.
The division stated the U.S. lawyer’s workplace in Manhattan, in addition to the FBI, discovered greater than one million extra paperwork that might be related to the Epstein case. It didn’t say in its assertion when it was knowledgeable of these new information.
The Justice Division insisted that its attorneys are “working across the clock” to overview the paperwork and make the redactions required beneath the legislation, handed practically unanimously by Congress final month.
“We are going to launch the paperwork as quickly as attainable,” the division stated. “Because of the mass quantity of fabric, this course of might take just a few extra weeks.”
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows under.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A dozen U.S. senators are calling on the Justice Division’s watchdog to look at the division’s failure to launch all data pertaining to the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein by final Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline, saying victims “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of thoughts” of an unbiased audit.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined 11 Democrats in signing a letter Wednesday urging Performing Inspector Normal Don Berthiaume to audit the Justice Division’s compliance with the Epstein Recordsdata Transparency Act, the legislation enacted final month that requires the federal government to open its information on Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.
“Given the (Trump) Administration’s historic hostility to releasing the information, politicization of the Epstein case extra broadly, and failure to adjust to the Epstein Recordsdata Transparency Act, a impartial evaluation of its compliance with the statutory disclosure necessities is crucial,” the senators wrote. Full transparency, they stated, “is crucial in figuring out members of our society who enabled and took part in Epstein’s crimes.”
Murkowski and Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., led the letter writing group. Others included Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota., Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, each of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
In the meantime, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, a co-sponsor of the transparency act, posted Wednesday on X: “DOJ did break the legislation by making unlawful redactions and by lacking the deadline.”
Regardless of the deadline, the Justice Division has stated it plans to launch data on a rolling foundation. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming technique of obscuring survivors’ names and different figuring out data. Extra batches of data had been posted over the weekend and on Tuesday. The division has not given any discover when extra data may arrive.
“The rationale why we’re nonetheless reviewing paperwork and nonetheless persevering with our course of is solely that to guard victims,” Deputy Lawyer Normal Todd Blanche informed NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “So the identical people which can be on the market complaining concerning the lack of paperwork that had been produced on Friday are the identical people who apparently don’t need us to guard victims.”
Data which have been launched, together with pictures, interview transcripts, name logs, courtroom data and different paperwork, had been both already public or closely blacked out, and lots of lacked obligatory context. Data that hadn’t been seen earlier than embody transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI brokers who described interviews that they had with a number of women and younger girls who described being paid to carry out intercourse acts for Epstein.
Different data made public in current days embody a observe from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that stated Trump had flown on the financier’s non-public airplane extra typically than had been beforehand identified and emails between Maxwell and somebody who indicators off with the preliminary “A.” They comprise different references that counsel the author was Britain’s former Prince Andrew. In a single, “A” writes: “How’s LA? Have you ever discovered me some new inappropriate mates?”
The senators’ name Wednesday for an inspector common audit comes days after Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., launched a decision that, if handed, would direct the Senate to file or be a part of lawsuits aimed toward forcing the Justice Division to adjust to the disclosure and deadline necessities. In a press release, he referred to as the staggered, closely redacted launch “a blatant cover-up.”
