Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse and Democratic members of the Senate are calling for an independent review of the Epstein case files to ensure no records have been altered or withheld before their public release.
In a Thursday letter to the Justice Department’s inspector general, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats requested a formal audit to verify the “chain of custody” of the Epstein files. Survivors’ representatives have also urged a third-party review to confirm that no documents were “scrubbed, softened, or quietly removed” ahead of the files’ disclosure.
Federal law passed last month requires the release of nearly all government records related to Epstein’s investigations by December 19, with minimal redactions. Recent court rulings have further authorized the unsealing of grand jury materials from criminal investigations into Epstein and his convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, allowing large batches of documents to be made public for the first time.
The letter from senators, including California’s Adam Schiff, referenced claims that former Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel oversaw a massive review of Epstein-related records, involving roughly 1,000 FBI personnel working around the clock to flag any references to President Trump. The senators said the review underscores the need for verification of the files’ integrity.
Civil attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represents several Epstein survivors, emphasized the importance of confirming the records’ trustworthiness. “These records have passed through too many hands, behind too many closed doors, for anyone to simply assume they’re intact, unaltered, or complete,” Kuvin said. “Survivors have endured decades of secrecy, broken promises, and institutional protection of powerful men; they should not now be asked to trust a process with no independent verification.”
The Senate Democrats are asking that the inspector general complete the audit and publicly release its findings by January 19. The review would answer questions, including how many people had custody of the materials before their release. The push follows the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which supersedes prior grand jury secrecy rules to allow for broader public access to these documents.