Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi asking 15 questions ahead of her scheduled testimony before the House Judiciary Committee this week.
The push from survivors came as congressional scrutiny intensified over the Department of Justice's (DOJ) handling of millions of pages of Epstein-related records on Tuesday, with Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, mentioning six people whose names were previously redacted.
A day earlier, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of child sex trafficking in connection with Epstein, repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment in a House deposition.
Survivors and their counsels accused the department of failing to protect victim identities while withholding or redacting information that could shed light on Epstein's network.
The letter to Bondi underscores the growing frustration among survivors over the DOJ's redaction process and the pace and completeness of the releases mandated by law.
Bondi, who is set to appear before House investigators this week, has defended the department's process while acknowledging instances of missed redactions. She and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche have said the department employed more than 500 reviewers to process millions of pages and removed files identified by survivors or counsel for further review, according to official correspondence.
Epstein survivors released a letter with 15 questions for Bondi before her testimony, saying in part: "We must be clear: this release does not provide closure. It feels instead like a deliberate attempt to intimidate survivors, punish those who came forward, and reinforce the same culture of secrecy that allowed Epstein's crimes to continue for decades."
The first question posed is: "Who approved the release of the documents that exposed survivors' names and identifying information?"
Members of Congress gained access Monday to unredacted Epstein files at a DOJ reading room, where they could make handwritten notes but were barred from bringing devices or staff, according to the department and multiple lawmakers.
House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, said he saw "tons of completely unnecessary redactions," alleging the DOJ was "in a cover-up mode" while allowing victims' names to be exposed, after viewing unredacted records Monday, CBS News reported. The department has said its review prioritized victim protection and that any document flagged for insufficient redaction is removed for further review.
House Democrats said they plan to question Bondi on redactions and file management during this week's hearing.
The department said it identified more than 6 million potentially responsive pages and has released more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images in rolling tranches, contending that reviewers made "substantial progress" and promptly remove files flagged by victims for re-redaction. Survivors' attorneys have asked a court to take down the repository until redaction concerns are resolved.
Bondi is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
During an episode of The Daily Show last week, Steward mocked President Donald Trump, mimicking: "I'm totally innocent. I mean, look at me. Do I look like the kind of a guy who would fly around on a billionaire sex plane?"
"None of these dudes. They've been on the plane. They've been on the island. They've been to his house," Stewart continued. "They've given him creepy cards with pubic hair. They've been accused by a multitude of women of a multitude of wrongdoings and nothing has happened to any of them. Any of them!"
Jennifer Freeman, attorney representing survivors, said of the DOJ redactions Tuesday, as reported by the Associated Press: "Over and over we begged them, please be careful, please be more careful. The damage has already been done. It feels incompetent, it feels intimidating and it feels intentional."
Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, on social media: "NO CLEMENCY. You comply or face punishment. You deserve JUSTICE for what you did you monster."
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in a February 6 letter, as reported by CBS News: "[The Department] is making substantial progress in identifying, reviewing, and redacting potential victim-identifying information...Documents identified...as insufficiently protecting apparent victim identifying information are removed for further review."
The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to question Bondi this week on redactions, records management and the department's compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Lawmakers who viewed unredacted materials said they will push for additional releases and corrective action on improper disclosures of victim identities.
The DOJ has indicated it will continue to remove and re-review any document flagged for insufficient redactions.