A pair of US lawmakers have threatened legal action against US Attorney General Pam Bondi, after her deadline to release all government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was met only in part.
The release of the Department of Justice (DoJ) documents was highly anticipated but, in the end, only a portion of the available material was made public.
A leading campaigner on the issue, Republican congressman Thomas Massie, said he could try to bring contempt proceedings against the attorney general as a result.
The DoJ insists it is complying with its legal obligations, and Bondi herself has said she is part of the most transparent administration in American history.
The phrase Epstein files refers to the trove of information compiled by the US justice department during its two criminal investigations into Epstein.
A law compelling the release of the full trove was signed by US President Donald Trump in November, after pressure from his supporters and members of his own Republican Party. Friday was the deadline for the release of the material.
Although some material was released, there were many redactions and other information was withheld, which angered Massie and his allies, as well as survivors of Epstein's abuse. Trump himself is yet to comment.
The DoJ has stated that more material will follow in the coming weeks.
However, during an appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, Massie suggested that the justice department was flouting the spirit and the letter of the law.
He went on to propose that bringing inherent contempt against Bondi could expedite justice for victims, a rarely used legal option available to Congress.
Massie noted he and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna were already drafting plans for such action, aiming to build a bipartisan coalition to fine Bondi for each day of non-compliance.
Providing more context, Khanna remarked the contempt option would only necessitate support from the House of Representatives, as opposed to an impeachment process.
Bondi’s deputy was dismissive of the lawmakers’ threats, asserting their commitment to compliance with the law and the challenge of processing a large volume of sensitive documents.
On the same program, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine expressed caution regarding the contempt or impeachment measures, suggesting alternate legislative strategies might be more effective.
Meanwhile, Bondi's office noted that certain Epstein-related files originally posted were later removed due to victim concerns but indicated they have been reinstated after further review.
