Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse are asking for federal oversight of how the Justice Department is handling the release of sensitive case files, nearly twenty years after first seeking justice.
On January 14, 2026, nineteen survivors submitted a formal request to Acting Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume, urging his office to investigate what they describe as major lapses in the Justice Department’s release of records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. In a letter, the survivors said the department’s approach “reflects serious failures in redaction practices, survivor protection, and oversight”, failures they say have “caused renewed harm to survivors and eroded trust in the institutions meant to protect them.”
The Justice Department has come under criticism for missing deadlines and releasing less than one percent of what experts say are more than 5.2 million Epstein-related documents.
According to the survivors, the government’s redaction process has been inconsistent and damaging. In some cases, the names of alleged abusers and enablers were removed, while details identifying survivors were left visible. “Any release of records involving sexual exploitation must prioritize the safety, privacy, and dignity of survivors,” the group wrote, arguing that this basic standard was not upheld.
They warned that some redactions were so poorly done they could be reversed using basic technical methods. Journalists and online researchers have confirmed that some files released by the Justice Department can be unmasked with simple steps: opying and pasting text from redacted PDFs can reveal hidden information, and changing brightness and contrast on digital images can make concealed names visible.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by President Trump on November 19, 2025, required the Attorney General to publicly release all unclassified Epstein-related records by December 15. The law also mandated a report to Congress within fifteen days, detailing what was released, what remained withheld, the legal basis for those decisions, and identifying any government officials or politically exposed individuals named in the files.
The Justice Department has missed both deadlines. By early January, officials had released less than one percent of the records, saying that more than two million documents were still under review and redaction. The required report to Congress, due January 3, was not delivered.
For survivors who have waited years for answers, the failed release has been a setback. In their letter, they ask that the truth be made public without putting victims at risk again.
