DOJ Watchdog Epstein Files Audit Proceeds As Trump IG Nominee Awaits Confirmation
The Justice Department's Office of Inspector General launched an audit Monday into the agency's handling of Epstein-related records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, while President Trump's nominee for inspector general awaits Senate confirmation.
The review will probe how the DOJ identified, redacted and released records tied to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and will examine why some documents were removed after posting and how post-release publication concerns were handled. The department collected more than 6 million pages and ultimately posted over 3 million, while withholding material for survivor privacy and ongoing probes. A CBS analysis found the DOJ later removed more than 47,000 files — roughly 65,500 pages — leaving about 2.7 million pages publicly accessible. President Trump has nominated career attorney Don Berthiaume to be the permanent inspector general, and longtime deputy William Blier is overseeing the audit.
The audit follows months of pressure after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act to force publication of unclassified DOJ records. Lawmakers first introduced the bill in July 2025 and President Trump signed it on November 19, 2025. The law required releases by December 2025, a deadline the department missed, prompting senators to demand an inspector general review on December 24, 2025. The DOJ published millions of pages on January 30, 2026, but applied heavy redactions, and later revelations about large-scale removals intensified criticism.
Coverage has shifted from initial DOJ assurances to sharper scrutiny. Early department statements, including from then-deputy attorney general Todd Blanche, insisted the DOJ complied and was not shielding anyone. Later reporting and survivor advocates argue heavy redactions and pulled documents raise questions about whether influential figures were protected. Former inspector general Michael Bromwich said treating the matter as an audit rather than a full investigation is "an insufficient response" and urged interviews with senior officials. Audits generally assess efficiency and compliance, while investigations probe misconduct — a distinction critics say could limit the inquiry's reach as calls for accountability continue.
📊 Relevant Data
The Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R. 4405) was signed into law by President Donald Trump on November 19, 2025, requiring the Department of Justice to publish all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in a searchable and downloadable format.
H.R.4405 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Epstein Files Transparency Act — Congress.gov
Don Berthiaume, nominated by President Trump to be the permanent DOJ Inspector General, has served as acting Inspector General since October 2025 and spent 10 years investigating DOJ misconduct, including reviewing surveillance errors in the Trump-Russia probe.
Amid Justice Department purges, Trump taps career official as next watchdog — Los Angeles Times
According to the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, audits focus on evaluating the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of programs and operations, while investigations determine whether allegations of criminal or administrative misconduct have merit and typically involve interviews, evidence gathering, and focus on specific individuals or incidents.
Information Quality Guidelines — U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General
📌 Key Facts
- The DOJ Office of Inspector General has begun a formal audit under the Epstein Files Transparency Act to review how the department identified, redacted, withheld, removed and released records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including procedures for handling high‑profile names and post‑release publication concerns.
- DOJ collected more than 6 million pages of Epstein‑related records, ultimately released over 3 million pages, and currently has roughly 2.7 million pages public after removing about 47,000 files (roughly 65,500 pages); removed links now return "page not found," and the department says some material was withheld for survivor privacy and ongoing investigations.
- The audit will scrutinize redaction decisions and withholding practices — including how officials decided which names to redact and why specific documents were removed after posting — following concerns about redaction errors and possible shielding of influential figures.
- The review is underway while DOJ leadership is in transition: career official William Blier is serving as acting inspector general and overseeing the audit, and President Trump has nominated Don Berthiaume to be the permanent DOJ inspector general; his confirmation is pending.
- Former DOJ inspector general Michael Bromwich and other critics say handling the matter as an audit (rather than a fuller OIG special investigation) may be insufficient, arguing a proper review should include interviews of senior figures such as Pam Bondi, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Kash Patel — interviews they say may fall outside a typical audit's scope.
- Todd Blanche has publicly defended DOJ compliance with the law, saying the department did not protect President Trump or anyone else, but he later told Fox News the Epstein files "should not be a part of anything going forward" at DOJ.
- Epstein survivors' attorneys, some lawmakers (including Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie) and others who pressed for an OIG review welcomed the audit as a first step but warned it must be "meaningful," nonpartisan, and lead to accountability and reparations where appropriate.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- President Trump has nominated former acting inspector general Don Berthiaume to permanently lead DOJ's Office of the Inspector General while that office conducts the Epstein Files Transparency Act audit.
- Career DOJ official William Blier, a roughly 40‑year department employee and longtime deputy inspector general, is currently serving as acting inspector general and overseeing the audit.
- Former DOJ inspector general Michael Bromwich publicly criticized the decision to handle the Epstein files matter as an audit rather than a special investigation by the OIG's Oversight and Review Division, calling an audit "an insufficient response."
- Bromwich said a proper review should include interviews of former Attorney General Pam Bondi, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel, and suggested such interviews are outside the Audit Division's typical scope.
- Attorneys for Epstein survivors expressed mixed reactions, welcoming the audit as a first step but warning it must be "meaningful" and not a partisan performance, and reiterating calls for accountability and reparations.
- Confirms that the DOJ Office of Inspector General has formally begun its review of the Epstein files release process under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
- Details the scope of the review, including examination of how DOJ decided which names to redact, why specific documents were removed after posting, and how internal guidance handled high-profile names.
- Reports fresh reaction from lawmakers and survivors who argue that removed documents and heavy redactions may have shielded influential figures from scrutiny.
- Wall Street Journal reports that the DOJ inspector general is reviewing how officials decided which names to redact and which materials to withhold from public release.
- Article reiterates that millions of Epstein and Maxwell records were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with some files withheld and others heavily redacted.
- Confirms that scrutiny of DOJ centers on redaction errors and withholding decisions tied to those releases.
- Confirms the OIG audit will specifically evaluate DOJ processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
- Details that DOJ collected more than 6 million pages of Epstein-related records and ultimately released over 3 million pages while withholding a portion for reasons including survivor privacy and ongoing investigations.
- Reports that CBS found DOJ removed more than 47,000 previously posted files, about 65,500 pages, leaving roughly 2.7 million pages currently public, with removed links now returning 'page not found' errors.
- Notes that then–Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly insisted DOJ complied with the law and did not protect President Trump or anyone else, while also saying public 'hunger' for information would not be satisfied.
- Adds that Blanche, now acting attorney general, later told Fox News the Epstein files 'should not be a part of anything going forward' at DOJ.
- States that President Trump has nominated career government attorney Don Berthiaume to be the next DOJ inspector general, who would oversee the OIG conducting this audit.
- Specifies that the OIG will also examine DOJ processes for handling 'post-release publication concerns' tied to the Epstein documents.
- Recaps that Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Thomas Massie, Epstein survivors, and Democratic lawmakers have been pressing the inspector general since at least December 2025 to investigate possible tampering or improper withholding of records.