The Daily Fuckup

The Epstein files fight is now in the inspector general’s shop. On April 23, the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General said it was opening an audit of DOJ’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with a preliminary focus on how the department identified, redacted and released records. The watchdog said it would also examine the department’s handling of responsive material, withholding decisions and post-release complaints.

That gives the dispute a new lane, but not a new ending. DOJ had already said in January that it had published more than 3 million additional pages responsive to the law, bringing the total production to nearly 3.5 million pages. The department said the files came from several sources tied to the Epstein and Maxwell investigations, and that its review process included rules aimed at protecting victims and other sensitive material.

The paperwork fight has also become a subpoena fight. On March 17, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena for former Attorney General Pam Bondi to appear for a deposition on DOJ’s handling of the Epstein investigation and its compliance with the transparency law. By early April, DOJ had indicated Bondi would not appear for the scheduled April 14 deposition, according to the House committee. The committee said it would contact her counsel about next steps.

The result is a familiar Capitol Hill pattern: a big records release, sharp complaints about how it was handled, and now a formal audit on top of congressional oversight. The inspector general’s review is still pending, and the House subpoena fight has not been resolved. For now, the only thing settled is that the Epstein files are still producing new questions long after the first release.