U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary

01/06/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/06/2026 15:25

Durbin, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Call For Inspector General Audit Of Justice Department’s Failed Release Of Full Epstein Files

January 06, 2026

Durbin, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Call For Inspector General Audit Of Justice Department's Failed Release Of Full Epstein Files

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined a bipartisan group of Senators in writing to Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume to request the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) perform an audit of DOJ's compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation requiring the release of all records and documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

The Senators wrote: "Given the Administration's historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential. As such, we request that the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General ('DOJ OIG') perform an audit of the Department's compliance with the statute."

The Senators concluded: "Full transparency-as called for bravely and repeatedly by survivors-is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein's crimes. Survivors deserve full disclosure. They also deserve the peace of mind that would be afforded by an independent audit of the Department's compliance."

In addition to Durbin, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Gary Peters (D-MI).

A PDF copy of the letter is available here.

-30-

U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary published this content on January 06, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 06, 2026 at 21:25 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]