Bipartisan group of Senators, including Merkley, push for audit over Epstein Files mishandling
WASHINGTON D.C. (KTVZ) — A bipartisan group of senators, including Oregon's Jeff Merkley and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, is demanding an independent audit of the Justice Department's botched release of Jeffrey Epstein files. They're accusing the DOJ of breaking federal law by shielding powerful names while exposing victims' privacy.
The Department of Justice published more than 3 million pages of records on Jan. 30, 2026, including approximately 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. According to the senators and NBC News reports, these records contained email addresses and nude photos where victims could be identified, while information regarding alleged co-conspirators appeared heavily redacted. Since the publication, the department has reportedly removed thousands of records from its website without explanation.
Sen. Merkley, who led the original transparency bill, said the administration has failed to follow the law's clear directives. "They've only released half of the document once," Merkley said. "And once they released, they redacted a lot of the powerful people out of it, which was illegal under the law. And they proceeded to revictimized the victims by not redacting the law required to redact the victims' photos or names."
The formal letter to Acting Comptroller General Brown asks the GAO to identify how many individuals were tasked with the review and what software was used to assist with redactions. The senators are also seeking information regarding any directives given to staff about "politically exposed persons" or the removal of records that were already published on the DOJ website.
Merkley previously introduced separate legislation alongside Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, to create penalties for failing to follow the transparency law. Merkley noted that Republican leadership has objected to adding those enforcement measures. "The Republicans said, no, no, we don't want any penalties," Merkley said. "We're just going to let the president have some of his nose and protect himself and his and his buddies and the ups to the whole Epstein class."
Beyond the Department of Justice records, lawmakers are examining financial data held by other agencies. Merkley credited Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, for identifying $1.5 billion in suspicious activity reports at the Treasury Department. These reports reportedly detail money transfers, names and the timing of financial activity linked to Epstein's operations.
During an interview in Washington, D.C., Merkley also expressed concern over the "Safe Voters Act," which he described as an effort to force states to hand over voter files. "I would say this could be the end of us being a democratic republic," Merkley said. "I don't know that there's been a more perilous moment for our democratic republic since either the civil War or the end of Reconstruction, when the civil rights of black men and women in the United States were so severely damaged."
The senator also addressed recent military actions involving Iran, noting a lack of congressional authorization. Merkley discussed the historical requirement for an "Authorization for Use of Military Force" to make an act of war constitutional. "There's a green light version called an authorization for Use of Military Force to make an act of war like this constitutional," Merkley said. "And the president didn't do that."
