A six-page letter from federal attorney Jay Clayton told Judge Paul A. Engelmayer that he lacks the authority to appoint a neutral expert (or special master) to oversee the release of documents in the Epstein and Maxwell sex trafficking case.
Congressional Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, co-sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, made the request of the Manhattan judge saying they had “urgent and grave concerns” about the DOJ’s slow-walking of the release of Epstein files, which they believe is in criminal violation of the law.
DOJ prosecutors contend that recent Congressional efforts to force production of the Epstein files amount to an improper attempt to reopen a concluded criminal case and to create a form of judicial oversight that Congress itself did not authorize.
DOJ’s argument states that Khanna and Massie do not have standing in the case to order the appointment of an independent monitor, and without additional legislation explicitly authorizing court enforcement, the DOJ believes no court can force it to produce the Epstein files, regardless of public pressure or congressional intent.
“We are informing the Court of serious misconduct by the Department of Justice that requires a remedy, one we believe this Court has the authority to provide, and which victims themselves have requested,” Khanna said in a statement. “Our purpose is to ensure that DOJ complies with its representations to the Court and with its legal obligations under our law,” he added.
Meidas Touch, Denver Gazette