By Rabia Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) – Saying the Trump administration had broken the law, the US Senate’s top Democrat on Monday pushed legislation to legally challenge the administration’s failure to fully release files related to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by the legally mandated deadline.
The move by US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer follows the Justice Department’s partial release of documents on Friday under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the full disclosure of records by Dec. 19 tied to federal investigations into Epstein, who died in jail in 2019.
“The law Congress passed is crystal clear: release the Epstein files in full so Americans can see the truth,” Schumer said in a statement.
“Instead, the Trump Department of Justice dumped redactions and withheld the evidence – that breaks the law. Today, I am introducing a resolution to force the Senate to take legal action and compel this administration to comply,” he added.
Schumer’s announcement came a day after Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, both of the House of Representatives, said they were pursuing “inherent contempt” proceedings against Attorney General Pam Bondi for noncompliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.