Lawmakers threaten Attorney General Bondi with contempt over incomplete Epstein files

[Dulcinea]

(NPR) Two lawmakers are threatening a seldom-used congressional sanction against the Department of Justice over what they say is a failure to release all of its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by a deadline set in law.

Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie spearheaded the effort to force the Epstein files' release by co-sponsoring the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but both have said the release had too many redactions as well as missing information.

"I think the most expeditious way to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi," Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, told CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday. "Basically Ro Khanna and I are talking about and drafting that right now."

Inherent contempt refers to Congress' authority to fine or arrest and then bring to trial officers who are obstructing legislative functions. It was last successfully used in the 1930s, according to the American Bar Association.

https://www.npr.org/2025/12/21/nx-s1-5651323/epstein-files-bondi-justice-department-congress-contempt