US Justice Department handling of Epstein file release sparks backlash

Bipartisan anger over the U.S. Department of Justice's slow release of Jeffrey Epstein documents grew on Monday as lawmakers threatened to launch an effort to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress and former President Bill Clinton sought the immediate release of any documents involving him.



"The DOJ needs to quit protecting the rich, powerful, and politically connected," Representative Thomas Massie, a maverick conservative Republican from Kentucky, said in a posting on X. The Justice Department released tthousands of documents on Friday related to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who committed suicide in 2019.



The saga over the Epstein files, which has been dragging on for years, has caused a rift within the Republican Party, with MAGA supporters, who make up President Donald Trump's core voters, clamoring for full disclosure of Epstein documents.



Trump has at times called the episode a Democratic "hoax," but has also signed into law a bill requiring the full disclosure.