Overview
- The Justice Department filed a letter Friday asking U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer to deny lawmakers’ bid for a court‑appointed special master to police Epstein records disclosures.
- The filing argues Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie are not parties to the case, lack standing to seek such relief, and that the court lacks authority to appoint an independent monitor.
- Officials report staggered releases with extensive redactions as more than 500 DOJ and FBI reviewers continue processing a vast, duplicative trove of documents.
- Previous updates noted that less than 1 percent of records were released by the Dec. 19 statutory deadline, with roughly 5.2 million pages still undergoing review.
- Khanna and Massie contend DOJ is defying the Epstein Files Transparency Act and seek outside oversight, while the judge has not yet ruled on their request.