Justice Department watchdog launches audit of Epstein files release compliance

The Justice Department’s internal watchdog said it had opened an audit into whether the department complied with the law requiring release of the Epstein files, putting the focus on process, deadlines and redaction rules rather than the salacious details of Jeffrey Epstein’s case.

The Office of Inspector General said the review will examine the Justice Department’s processes for identifying, redacting and releasing records covered by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, according to Deputy Inspector General William Blier. The law, signed by President Trump on November 19, 2025, required the department to release all documents and records in its possession relating to Epstein by December 19, 2025. The watchdog said it will issue a public report when the work is complete.

The audit follows months of criticism that the department missed that deadline and kept back records tied to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. In January 2026, the Justice Department said it had already published nearly 3.5 million pages, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, and said more than 500 attorneys and reviewers had worked on the effort. The department said the material came from Florida and New York cases against Epstein, the New York case against Maxwell, investigations into Epstein’s death, multiple FBI investigations and the department’s own inspector general inquiry into the death.

Justice officials also said the release process included an added review step because a court order required that no victim-identifying information be disclosed unredacted. Even so, pressure kept building. Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined 11 Democrats in urging an independent audit after the deadline passed, while Rep. Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the transparency law, accused the department of breaking the law through illegal redactions and missed deadlines. Survivors later asked the inspector general to oversee future disclosures, saying some victim information may not have been adequately protected.

The watchdog’s review gives the public a narrow but important question to scrutinize: whether the department followed the law as written. That means examining how records were found, what was withheld, what was redacted and whether the department’s disclosure system was built to protect victims while still meeting Congress’s command for full release. The answer will shape confidence in how the Justice Department handles sensitive transparency obligations long after the Epstein files themselves are released.