Make the Epstein Investigation Bipartisan and Compel Full Disclosure

Recent reporting from NPR and The Guardian indicates that the Department of Justice may have withheld or removed portions of the Epstein files that reference allegations involving President Trump, despite the requirements of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. NPR reports that the public database appears to contain serial number gaps corresponding to more than 50 pages of FBI interview materials and related notes tied to a survivor whose allegations mention the president. The DOJ has stated that any unpublished materials are duplicates, privileged, or related to an ongoing federal investigation. The White House denies that anything improper was deleted and maintains that all responsive documents have been produced subject to those categories. At the same time, Ranking Member Robert Garcia has stated that he reviewed unredacted DOJ evidence logs and that Oversight Democrats believe FBI interviews were withheld in violation of the law. A formal House Oversight investigation has now been announced. These are conflicting claims of the highest consequence. They cannot be resolved through press statements. They must be resolved through bipartisan oversight. This issue is not about partisanship. It is not about pre-judging any allegation. It is about whether a transparency statute passed by Congress is being followed by the executive branch, especially when the records concern allegations involving a sitting president. The investigation now underway must be fully empowered and bipartisan. Congress should: 1. Require DOJ to produce all withheld Epstein file materials to Congress, along with a detailed index explaining the statutory basis for each redaction or omission. 2. Demand written certification of any claimed ongoing investigation, including how disclosure would jeopardize it and why withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary. 3. Issue bipartisan subpoenas if voluntary compliance is incomplete. 4. Ensure preservation of all related records and audit any removals from the public database. If the documents were lawfully withheld, production to Congress will confirm that. If they were not, that is obstruction. Transparency laws exist to prevent conflicts of interest when powerful individuals are implicated in serious allegations. No administration, Republican or Democratic, should decide unilaterally what Congress and the public are permitted to see when disclosure has been mandated by law. The integrity of the Department of Justice and the constitutional authority of Congress are both at stake. Make this investigation bipartisan. Follow the law. Release what the statute requires.