Pam Bondi’s Bid to Silence Epstein Files Backfires, Raises Fresh Scrutiny

US Attorney General Pam Bondi appears eager to shut the book on the Epstein Files once and for all. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said it has released all of the files required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. However, law enforcement officials have found the release insufficient.

​The letter to Congress, intended to settle lingering questions, has instead fueled fresh doubts.

​Section 3 of the Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the DOJ, within 15 days of completing the release required under the Act, to submit to the House and Senate committees on the Judiciary. The report must all categories of records released and withheld.

It also requires a summary of redactions made, including legal basis. Additionally, it requires a list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the released materials.

The six-page letter names roughly 130 individuals linked to Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell. The list includes political figures such as Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris. It also includes several Hollywood celebrities, including Beyoncé, George Clooney, and Jay-Z. It also included the names of deceased people, including Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Janis Joplin.

​The letter clarified that the names appearing in the files released under the Act are mentioned in a wide range of contexts. While some individuals had extensive direct email contact with Epstein or Maxwell. Others appear only briefly in parts of documents, including press reports not directly related to Epstein or Maxwell.

This wide-net approach meant that Janis Joplin and Marilyn Monroe, who died in 1970 and 1962, respectively, were also included on the list. Critics say their inclusion illustrates how the names were used to blur distinctions around culpability, according to a report by The Daily Beast.

​“The DOJ is once again purposefully muddying the waters on who was a predator and who was mentioned in an email,” Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna said in a statement on X.

“To have Janis Joplin, who died when Epstein was 17, in the same list as Larry Nassar, who went to prison for the sexual abuse of hundreds of young women and child p----------, with no clarification of how either was mentioned in the files, is absurd."

​"Release the full files. Stop protecting predators. Redact only the survivor's names,” added Khanna. He is a co-sponsor of the Transparency Act.

The letter comes days after Bondi was questioned during a House committee hearing over her handling of the files’ release on February 11. In a heated exchange, Bondi echoed MAGA talking points, clashed with Judiciary Committee members, and declined to answer several questions. Some of Epstein’s victims watched from the room.

The outburst prompted calls for Bondi’s resignation.

On January 30, 2026, three million pages of the Epstein Files were released, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The Department of Justice acknowledged that as many as six million pages could potentially qualify for release. However, it maintained that the January 30 disclosure marked the final release and that it had fulfilled its legal obligations.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the requirements of the Transparency Act have been met. However, critics argue the reality falls far short of that claim.

The latest release has been tagged a “failure” by critics. They have questioned why the documents are riddled with black-line redactions.