Last week, Trump demanded that the Department of Justice open an investigation into Democrats with ties to Epstein, the convicted sex offender, including Bill Clinton, the former President, and Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary and Harvard academic. They have previously denied wrongdoing.
Pam Bondi, the Attorney-General, confirmed that an investigation has now been opened, citing “new information” without disclosing what that was.
The Epstein Bill contains several caveats that prevent the release of records if they could jeopardise an active federal investigation.
Bondi has vowed to “follow the law”, while a spokesman for the Department of Justice declined to comment on whether officials would use that investigation as a reason to decline to release additional documents.
Members of Congress are worried that the last-minute investigation will scupper the release of files.
Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman who sponsored the bill, said: “If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can’t be released.
“So, this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them – as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files.”
Aware that the administration could use this provision to delay or prevent the release of certain files, Massie issued a warning to the administration, insisting any censorship should be “narrow and temporary”.
He posted on X: “For anyone hoping to use ‘ongoing investigations’ as a reason to withhold Epstein files, please read the language of the bill.”
The clause protecting ongoing investigations was seemingly designed to ensure large swathes of information were not withheld from the public for long periods of time, and that any files that were withheld were released once any investigation is concluded.
Victims will not be identified
The second key clause is less controversial, but is likely to mean that the most incendiary files are never seen by the public.
Under the legislation, the Trump administration may withhold records that identify victims or include images of child sexual abuse. Some files already withheld do include images of victims or videos of illegal child sex abuse, the Department of Justice said. Together, these clauses could prevent the release of thousands of files.
Bondi has 30 days to release the material she is allowed to publish. There are as many as 100,000 files to go through.
Through the bill’s exceptions, Trump has been granted a shield.
The President’s insistence that he was behind their release, while at the same time ordering an investigation that could censor certain documents, means he can point the finger at the Department of Justice should any documents be censored or not released.
All the while, he maintains that it is one big Democrat “hoax”.
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