DOJ to allow Congress to view unredacted Epstein files starting Monday

Members of Congress will be able to review unredacted versions of the more than 3 million pages of Epstein files released by the Justice Department starting Monday, according to a letter obtained by USA Today.

To review those documents, legislators will have to go through the files on computers at the Justice Department from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time on Mondays through Fridays, according to the letter, which was sent by the attorney general’s office to members of Congress. Officials reading the documents will be able to take notes, but must leave electronic devices outside the reading room.

The Justice Department is not making available to Congress the approximately 2.5 million pages of Epstein files it withheld completely. In total, the files in the government’s possession include more than 6 million pages, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference Jan. 30.

“We are confident that this review will further demonstrate the Department’s good faith work to appropriately process an enormous volume of documents in a very short time,” wrote Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis in the letter.

The department noted in the letter that members of Congress need to abide by legal restrictions on sharing the information they see. The letter doesn’t note specific restrictions, but the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the Justice Department to release various files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, allowed the DOJ to withhold various types of information, including information that would identify victims.

Legislative staffers also won’t be allowed to review the documents, according to the letter.