Top Democrats on Thursday accused Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department of a “cover-up” over how they have handled the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
“We’re here today to put a shot across the bow of the Department of Justice and the Trump administration that we are going to reveal this massive cover-up,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference. “We will not rest. It’s an all-out oversight effort, we’re going to pull on every thread. We’re going to chase every lead. We’ll talk with whistleblowers.”
Outside a House Oversight Committee deposition of former secretary of state and first lady Hillary Clinton related to Epstein on Thursday, Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, also accused the Justice Department of a cover-up.
“At this very moment, the Department of Justice continues to lead a White House cover-up, and we are going to be demanding over the next few days that the remaining files that have not been released get released to the public,” Garcia said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer delivers remarks during a press conference on the ongoing Senate oversight efforts on the Epstein files at the US Capitol in Washington, February 26, 2026.
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Garcia said that includes the recent discovery that the DOJ appears to have withheld some which Garcia said include accusations against Trump.
“It is unconscionable, it is illegal, and Pam Bondi and the president need to answer where those files are,” he said.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the Democrats’ allegations. But in a statement posted on X on Wednesday, it vowed to publish any documents if they are “found to have been improperly tagged in the review process.”
“Several individuals and news outlets have recently flagged files related to documents produced to Ghislaine Maxwell in discovery of her criminal case that they claim appear to be missing,” the DOJ account said. “As with all documents that have been flagged by the public, the Department is currently reviewing files within that category of the production. Should any document be found to have been improperly tagged in the review process and is responsive to the Act, the Department will of course publish it, consistent with the law.”
Schumer and Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also said that they sent a letter to the Justice Department and the FBI requesting that they preserve records related to the management of the Epstein files over the course of the Trump administration.
The Democrats accused the Trump administration of “mishandling the files for a year” and said that after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the White House broke the law in producing the vast majority of files after the deadline.
Rep. Robert Garcia, joined by Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee speaks to members of the media before a closed-door deposition with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Feb. 26, 2026 in Chappaqua, New York.
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They said it also broke the law by violating the legislation’s protection for victims by publishing some records without redacting personally identifiable information and including nude photos where names and faces could be identified.
Blanche and Bondi wrote to Congress last month that more than 500 attorneys and others had been involved in reviewing the documents. In a Jan. 30 statement, the DOJ said, “The Department coordinated closely with victims and their lawyers to ensure that the production of documents includes necessary redactions. We want to immediately correct any redaction errors that our team may have made; so, the Department has established an email inbox for victims to reach us directly to correct redaction concerns when appropriate.”
Trump has consistently denied allegations of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein or any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
“It’s clear that Donald Trump and his Republican enablers are executing a cover-up and conceal strategy. Heads are rolling at the highest levels in the United Kingdom. Will heads roll in the United States?” Durbin said.
“As I told General Bondi during last year’s Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, quote, ‘Eventually, you’re going to have to answer for your conduct in this. You won’t do it today but eventually you will,'” Durbin said.
