Justice Dept. Won't Meet Friday Deadline to Release All Epstein Files [View all]

Source: New York Times

The Justice Department will not release all of its files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison, by its congressionally mandated deadline of Friday, Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said...

The delay meant that the administration would apparently violate a law signed by President Trump in November ordering the complete release of all unclassified materials about Mr. Epstein in the Justice Department’s possession within 30 days, with limited exceptions.

Under the law, the administration may withhold records that identify victims, that include images of child sexual abuse, or are otherwise classified. The legislation also allows the Justice Department to withhold records if they would “jeopardize an active federal investigation.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan to investigate ties between Mr. Epstein and prominent Democrats shortly after Mr. Trump directed her to do so last month.



Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/us/politics/epstein-files-deadline.html

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https://archive.ph/yuRXt

The "with limited exceptions" is Bondi's/Blanche's delay pretext.

Congress should hold Bondi and Blanche in contempt of congress and immediately issue subpoenas. Congress can initiate a civil lawsuit in federal court to obtain a court order compelling compliance.
If the party disobeys the court order, they can then be held in contempt of court, which carries judicial penalties (e.g., fines or imprisonment until they comply).
Though rarely used in modern times, Congress retains the inherent power to use its own Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest and detain an individual until they comply with a subpoena.
In essence, the initial contempt citation is a step in the enforcement process, not a final resolution that bars further congressional action to obtain the needed information.