Rep. Nancy Mace said that Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent claim that the Justice Department has released “all” files related to Epstein does not match what Congress and the public can see. This sets up a new conflict between a prominent Republican lawmaker and the Trump administration over disclosures related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
“Despite the memo released by DOJ last night, not all the Epstein files have been released,” Mace, R-S.C., wrote on X late Saturday. “And the excuses for not releasing all the files will not hold up in court. This isn’t going away until people go to jail.”
Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a six-page report to the House and Senate Judiciary committees dated Feb. 14 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. In it, they stated that the department “released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials in the possession of the Department’ that ‘relate to’” nine categories connected to Epstein, including investigations and prosecutions, flight logs, internal DOJ communications, agreements, and records about Epstein’s detention and death.
The same letter acknowledged that the department withheld a limited category of records where permitted withholdings and privileged materials “were not segregable from material responsive” under the law. It also said the department applied privileges such as deliberative-process, work-product, and attorney-client privilege. The report stated that the department did not withhold or redact records “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”
Despite the memo released by DOJ last night, not all the Epstein files have been released. And the excuses provided for not releasing all the files will not hold up in a court of law.
This isn’t going away until people go to jail.
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) February 15, 2026
The dispute quickly gained public attention because the law requires DOJ to provide Congress with a list of government officials and “politically exposed persons” mentioned in the released materials. The Feb. 14 letter included a lengthy list and explained that names appeared in many contexts, from direct communications to mentions in unrelated press clippings found in investigative files.
Reuters reported Sunday that the Justice Department sent lawmakers the legally required letter describing its redactions and listing notable names, without providing context for how each person appeared in the records.
Mace has questioned the DOJ about missing or removed items before this weekend’s exchange. In a Feb. 12 statement on her official House website, she said documents initially posted to DOJ’s Epstein Library after the Jan. 30 release later disappeared from the public site. Her office noted that public reports connected some removals to improper redactions that revealed victims’ identities and explicit photographs, while other documents seemed to have been removed and not restored.
“The DOJ released these files, then quietly pulled some of them down without explanation. We want to know why,” Mace said in that statement. She added, “The Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the release of ALL unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein’s investigation and prosecution, with redactions to protect the identities of victims, not predators.”
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed in November 2025, directs DOJ to release unclassified records related to Epstein with limited exceptions. DOJ created a dedicated Epstein Library page and has stated it made “all reasonable efforts” to review and redact personal information of victims and other sensitive material before posting records online.
Mace’s weekend post increased the political pressure on Bondi, who has faced tough questions from both parties about what has been posted, what has been withheld, and how the department justifies its redactions and privileges while claiming it complied with the mandate to release Epstein-related materials.
