Conservative watchdog Judicial Watch is taking action against the Department of Justice under President Trump, accusing it of violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by withholding essential records tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s network. This lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on April 8, 2025, demands transparency regarding Epstein’s elite clientele and potential governmental involvement.
Judicial Watch has persistently sought information through multiple FOIA requests targeted at various DOJ components, such as the Office of Information Policy, the Criminal Division, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the FBI. These requests include:
- Communications between AG Bondi and others related to Epstein’s client lists.
- DOJ records concerning Epstein’s activities and his 2019 death.
- FBI records and communications about Epstein and the potential disclosure of his associates.
- Communications involving FBI Director Kash Patel concerning the handling or release of the Epstein list.
Despite acknowledgment of these requests, the DOJ has allegedly failed to comply, prompting Judicial Watch to seek legal recourse.
Judicial Watch sued the Justice Department after it failed to adequately respond to four separate FOIA requests for records concerning Jeffrey Epstein, including a specific request for records “depicting the identities of clients or associates of Jeffrey Epstein.” Epstein document requests were sent to the Justice Department’s Office of Information Policy, the Criminal Division, and two separate requests were sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
A February 24, 2025, report by Fox News suggested that President Trump’s return to office could finally bring Epstein’s “black book” into the public eye, amid ongoing investigations into the notorious financier.
While Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 facing sex trafficking charges, a recent document release from the DOJ contained no major revelations, merely confirming known connections between Epstein and various celebrities and politicians.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton emphasizes the necessity for the DOJ to fulfill public demands for transparency and release the Epstein files under FOIA. The lawsuit notes that the DOJ regarded Judicial Watch’s latest query as a duplicate of a 2019 request, yet after nearly six years, this original request remains unfulfilled.
Judicial Watch is requesting that the federal court compel the DOJ to:
- Conduct a comprehensive search for all records responsive to the FOIA requests.
- Release all non-exempt records by a specified deadline, along with a Vaughn index explaining any withheld documents and their legal justifications.
- Cease withholding non-exempt records that are responsive to the requests.
- Award Judicial Watch attorney’s fees and litigation costs incurred due to the DOJ’s non-compliance.
- Grant any other relief the court deems appropriate.
Last month’s release of the “Epstein Files: Phase One” proved disappointing, with heavily redacted pages shared with select MAGA influencers. AG Bondi had previously promised that these documents would reveal substantial information about Epstein’s criminal network.
In a conversation with Mark Levin on Life, Liberty & Levin, Bondi expressed her frustration, having believed she was provided with all available pages until a whistleblower revealed that a significant portion of the files remained with the SDNY. Bondi has given a firm deadline for these documents to be delivered.
On Fox News with Sean Hannity, Bondi disclosed that SDNY has now provided the FBI with a substantial volume of Epstein-related documents. She has tasked FBI Director Kash Patel with investigating the reason for these documents’ previous withholding.
Bondi affirmed that the identities of victims and grand jury information would remain protected, but stressed the public’s right to know who was involved in Epstein’s vile network. However, some, like Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Chairwoman of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, remain skeptical about the forthcoming release of the Epstein client list.
For Luna and many conservatives, there’s a strong desire for meaningful action rather than mere rhetoric.
