NEW YORK
Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor told a judge Friday that Congress cannot intervene in the public disclosure of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation, rejecting a bid by lawmakers to appoint an independent monitor.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, in a letter to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, said the judge “lacks the authority” to appoint a neutral expert, as requested this week by the bipartisan sponsors of the proposed Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) had expressed “urgent and grave concerns” over the slow, piecemeal release of documents, suggesting in a court filing that “criminal violations have taken place” in the process.
Clayton countered that the lawmakers lack legal standing in the criminal case that led to the 2021 conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, for recruiting and grooming victims. Granting their request for a special master, he argued, would constitute “extraordinary” and unauthorized judicial overreach.
The Justice Department’s stance reinforces its sole control over the document release, leaving unresolved the lawmakers’ allegations of delay and impropriety in revealing the full scope of Epstein’s network.
By James Kisoo
