As DOJ Blows Deadline to Release Epstein Files, Khanna Vows to Prosecute Any Obstruction

As the US Department of Justice announced it would miss Friday's legal deadline to hand Congress all files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna vowed to prosecute any officials who obstruct the documents' disclosure.

Khanna (D-Calif.)—who along with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act—told CBS News Friday that the DOJ "had months to prepare for this" and "must today offer a clear timeline for the full release."

"The key is they release the names of all the powerful men in question who abused underage girls or covered it up," he stressed. "They must provide a clear framework to the survivors and the nation by when we will have everything public."

In a video published Thursday, Khanna warned that "anyone who tampers with these documents or conceals documents or engages in excessive redactions will be prosecuted because of obstruction of justice."

"We will prosecute individuals regardless of whether they're the attorney general or a career or a political appointee," he said.

Khanna's remarks Friday followed Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche's admission during a Fox News interview that the DOJ would not hand over all the Epstein files by the December 19 deadline.

“I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks, so today several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more,” Blanche said. “There’s a lot of eyes looking at these and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim.”

Last month, Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the release of all relevant documents within 30 days. The legislation also empowered Attorney General Pam Bondi to redact large amounts of information that critics fear could include material that incriminates the president, who was once a close friend of the disgraced financier.

“So today is the 30 days," Blanche acknowledged, adding that the documents released Friday "will come in in all different forms, photographs and other materials associated with... all of the investigations" into Epstein—who faced a federal sex trafficking case at the time of his death.

This, after House Oversight Committee Democrats on Thursday released a cache of about 70 photos from the Epstein estate.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was among the lawmakers pressing Friday for the administration to meet the deadline for fully disclosing the Epstein files.

"The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be—the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some," Schumer said after Blanche's remarks. "Failing to do so is breaking the law. This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hell-bent on hiding the truth."

"We will not stop until the whole truth comes out," he added. "People want the truth and continue to demand the immediate release of all the Epstein files. This is nothing more than a cover up to protect Donald Trump from his ugly past."

In a joint statement Friday, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said that "Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein's decadeslong, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring."

"For months, Pam Bondi has denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committee’s subpoena," the lawmakers continued. "The Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself, even as it gives star treatment to Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

"We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law," they added. "The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from DOJ.”

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said Friday on X: "Congress mandated that Trump's DOJ release all the Epstein files by TODAY. They must comply. Survivors have waited far too long for the accountability they deserve."

Massie said Thursday that "victims' lawyers have been in contact with me, and collectively, they know there are at least 20 names of men who are accused of sex crimes in the possession of the FBI."

“If we get a large production on December 19, and it does not contain a single name of any male who is accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape or any of these things, then we know they haven’t produced all the documents,” Massie added. “It’s that simple.”

"Time's up," Massie said Friday on X. "Release the files."

Echoing the lawmakers' calls, Cavan Kharrazian, senior policy adviser at the advocacy group Demand Progress, said Friday: “Failing to release all of the Epstein files today is a violation of the law. We’re talking about a legal mandate for the Department of Justice, not a student submitting a late assignment."

"They have had 30 days to prepare for today, and many months more if you include all the time the DOJ claimed it was working towards the same goal," he continued. "Promises to release more files ‘over the next couple of weeks’ are unacceptable, and alarmingly suggest the public will only see a fraction of them today."

"Jeffrey Epstein ran a sex trafficking network that harmed women, including minors, and included some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world," Kharrazian added. "The stakes are too high to play political games. The survivors of Epstein’s crimes, the families of his victims, and the American people are legally owed answers. The cover-up must end.”