Rep. Khanna’s Statement on Third Federal Judge Granting Request to Unseal Files Ahead of December 19th Deadline Set by Epstein Files Transparency Act

Washington, DC — Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17), author of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, released the following statement after a third federal judge this week granted a request by the Department of Justice to unseal records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell:

“This is promising, but I will be watching closely for any attempts to delay or prevent the release of the files by the Department of Justice. My legislation requires that the files be released by December 19th. It also requires DOJ to declassify information to the fullest extent possible with redactions to protect survivors. Anything that is redacted has to be accompanied by a written justification published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress. This bill was a bipartisan effort signed by President Trump. I hope Attorney General Pam Bondi will put the survivors above politics and the interests of the Epstein class. The public deserves full transparency, and the survivors deserve justice,” said Rep. Ro Khanna. 

Today, Judge Richard Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted a request from DOJ to unseal files related to Epstein. The files include grand jury materials, investigative records, and documents from a 2019 investigation into Epstein.

On December 9th, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer granted a similar DOJ request to unseal grand jury transcripts and evidence from a sex trafficking case in New York against Ghislaine Maxwell. Engelmayer cited Rep. Khanna’s Epstein Files Transparency Act as the reason he changed his position on releasing the materials. 

On December 5th, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith granted a request to unseal grand jury transcripts from a federal investigation in Florida into Epstein, writing that the Epstein Files Transparency Act overrides the secrecy orders around grand jury materials.