The U.S. Justice Department has formally requested that a federal judge in New York reject a bid from two members of Congress seeking to appoint a special master overseeing disclosures of case files linked to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Department began disseminating these documents in December as part of its investigation into Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender.
Representatives Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, have publicly criticized the DOJ for moving too slowly in making these materials available. Last week, the lawmakers petitioned U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer to allow them to submit a brief advocating for an independent monitor or special master, contending the DOJ failed to meet the legal requirement to disclose all Epstein-related records by December 19.
In a detailed six-page letter submitted on Friday to Judge Engelmayer, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche countered that Khanna and Massie had no formal participation rights in the U.S. v. Ghislaine Maxwell litigation associated with Epstein’s criminal conduct. The DOJ urged the court to deny the motion for amicus curiae status, stating that:
"Representatives Khanna and Massie do not have standing, their stated objectives are inconsistent with the role of an amicus as well as the role of the Court, and, in any event, there is no authority permitting the Court to grant the Representatives the relief they improperly seek," the letter declared. The letter bore the signature of Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her involvement in facilitating the sexual abuse of underage girls by Epstein. The Justice Department has disclosed that as of late 2025, it still had some 5.2 million pages of Epstein-related materials pending review. To process this extensive backlog, the department is deploying around 400 lawyers across four distinct offices, with the review expected to continue until late January.