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Massie mulls response as DOJ continues missing Epstein deadlines

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a libertarian-leaning deficit hawk, walks to the House chamber as Republicans work to push President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts across the finish line even as conservative and moderate GOP holdouts like Massie slow that effort, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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AP
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a libertarian-leaning deficit hawk, walks to the House chamber as Republicans work to push President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts across the finish line even as conservative and moderate GOP holdouts like Massie slow that effort, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The Kentucky congressman who led the push to force the release of files linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is criticizing the slow response by the Department of Justice.

Rep. Thomas Massie told reporters the piecemeal releases — and what's blacked out in the documents that have been made public —- are far from meeting the standards set by the transparency bill passed by Congress.

"If this were a private law firm with five percent of the resources of the DOJ, this would have been done by the deadline," he said. "And they just missed another deadline, which is to report to Congress, which is supposed to list all the politicians that are in their files.. Also they're supposed to justify all the redactions 15 days after the first 30-day window."

While Massie isn't yet making the push for contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi, he says that remains an option.

In the meantime, CBS reports Epstein survivors are submitting formal requests that the Inspector General's office investigate the mishandling of the DOJ's legal responsibility to hand over the documents. Government lawyers reportedly told a judge this week that only 1% of the files have been reviewed and released so far.