Democrats push for DOJ watchdog to review handling of Epstein records

Source: USA Today

Updated Dec. 11, 2025, 1:54 p.m. ET


WASHINGTON – Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to review whether any records from the investigation of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein had been “tampered” with or concealed. The request came as the department faces a Dec. 19 deadline for releasing Epstein records under a law Congress passed.

Three federal judges have approved department requests to release grand-jury transcripts and other evidence from the investigation of Epstein and his aide, Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with Epstein to entice minors to travel for illicit sex. The letter requested a “prompt audit” of who handled records the department is releasing, including the storage and disposition of the evidence.

“This audit will help confirm for Congress and the public that the Epstein files that will be released are identical to those collected by law enforcement, other than any legally required redactions,” said the letter signed by Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Adam Schiff of California. “To reassure the American public that any files released have not been tampered with or concealed, the chain of custody forms associated with records and evidence in the Epstein files must be accounted for, analyzed, and released.”

“The purpose of chain of custody documentation is to show in detail who had control of evidence so that questions concerning contamination, tampering, or concealment do not arise,” the letter added.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/11/jeffrey-epstein-files-democrats-justice-department/87719160007/