Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have heard the same promise from Washington for years. Now, they’re done waiting for transparency. His survivors have joined forces with lawmakers from both parties to demand that a federal judge step in. They believe this is the only way to force the Justice Department to release the long-withheld Epstein files.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act directed the DOJ to release all relevant documents by December 19 of last year. Yet that hat deadline has passed more than a month ago.
A letter has been sent to the Manhattan federal court by survivor Haley Robson. She is joined by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California in asking Judge Paul Engelmayer (who also oversaw the criminal case against Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell) to appoint a special master to ensure the DOJ follows the law and stops delaying the release. It also stresses that survivors have waited decades for someone to take accountability.
The filing states: “We do not make this request lightly.”
Big news: Haley Robson, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, filed a letter requesting a federal judge intervene to make DOJ comply with @RepThomasMassie and my law and release the full files. Thank you for your courage, Haley. pic.twitter.com/hFkAquF6RO
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) January 20, 2026
Another survivor, Lisa Phillips, submitted a filing that accused the DOJ of “willful violations” of the act. It warns that continued delays are only traumatizing the survivors further. Meanwhile, the DOJ says it is still reviewing more than 2 million Epstein-related documents.
So far, fewer than 13,000 have been released.
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Massie and Khanna argue that the problem is a lack of trust. In their letter, they say the DOJ has failed to provide reports explaining what has been redacted or withheld and why. Without that, how can Congress or the courts oversee the process?
“This isn’t a political football,” Khanna said in a recent interview. “These survivors have suffered for decades.” He and Massie are asking the judge to order the release of key documents on top of appointing the special master. Those will potentially include survivors’ FBI interviews and prosecution memos that identify other influential figures implicated in the network.
Also, on the eve of Epstein’s birthday, a 12-foot replica of a birthday letter Donald Trump once wrote to the deceased criminal appeared on the National Mall. The installation lets passersby sign their own messages to the Trump administration, too.
A giant twelve foot tribute to Jeffrey Epstein-Donald Trump’s infamous birthday card has been erected in the National Mall, Washington. pic.twitter.com/9uI3MBYJTe
— grizzy (@Furbeti) January 19, 2026
Critics have been arguing that all recent distractions are part of the strategy to distract us from the Epstein files. From foreign policy issues to literal wars being initiated, they say the White House is trying to exhaust the public. But the issue doesn’t seem to be going away as survivors continue to speak out, and judges might intervene.
If the law already mandates disclosure, what excuse is left for keeping the files locked away?
