The Justice Department’s internal watchdog is opening an audit of DOJ’s adherence to the Epstein files disclosure law following a request from mostly Democratic senators.
The review, announced Thursday by acting DOJ Inspector General William Blier, will evaluate the department’s methods of “identifying, redacting, and releasing records” as required by the recently-enacted legislation mandating publication of internal documents tied to the prosecution of disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The launch of this audit, which the IG’s office said would conclude with a public report, marks the DOJ watchdog’s rare involvement in politically sensitive matters tied to Trump administration leadership. The inspector general has been largely silent in response to numerous other requests from whistleblower lawyers and lawmakers to investigate DOJ controversies of late.
In December, 11 Democratic senators and one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), wrote to the department’s watchdog to seek an audit of what they said was then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s own admission of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act by stating DOJ wouldn’t release all records before the law’s Dec. 19 deadline.
The department has also come under scrutiny for failing to redact identifying information of victims and has been accused of withholding files related to an allegation that President Donald Trump abused a minor.
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