Several members of Congress from both parties are weighing whether to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt, escalating a growing dispute with the Justice Department over what lawmakers say is its failure to fully release Jeffrey Epstein-related files by a statutory deadline.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) said they are discussing the use of “inherent contempt,” a rarely invoked congressional power, after the Justice Department released thousands of pages of Epstein documents on December 19 but did not disclose all of the material they expected.
“The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” Massie said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” when asked how Congress could force the department to release additional files.
Khanna said lawmakers are actively building support for such a move and emphasized that the House alone could act. “We only need the House for inherent contempt,” he said, adding that the process could include daily fines if documents are not released.
Inherent contempt allows Congress to fine or detain officials accused of obstructing its legislative functions. The authority has not been successfully used since the 1930s, according to the American Bar Association.
Other lawmakers urged caution. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that talk of impeachment or contempt was “premature,” arguing Congress has alternative tools. “We have tools in appropriations bills and other tools to force compliance if somebody is dragging their feet,” Kaine said, pointing to recent funding provisions used to pressure executive agencies in other disputes.
The confrontation stems from the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Khanna and Massie helped shepherd through Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. The law required the Trump administration to release all unclassified Epstein-related records within 30 days, with limited redactions to protect victims.
On Friday, the Justice Department released a large tranche of documents, but lawmakers from both parties criticized the disclosure as incomplete and overly redacted, according to NBC News reports.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that the department is complying with the law and continuing a careful review.
“We’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the Transparency Act expects,” Blanche said on “Meet the Press.”
Blanche dismissed threats of contempt or impeachment. “Not even a little bit. Bring it on,” he said, adding that critics “have no idea what they’re talking about.”
Khanna has floated impeachment as a possible later step but said contempt would come first. Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” he said some Republicans were “on board” with escalating pressure, though he did not name them, according to Newsweek.
The Justice Department has faced criticism for overzealous redactions and retractions of Epstein material that was already publicly available, The Dallas Express reported.
