[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4405 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4405
To require the Attorney General to release all documents and records in
possession of the Department of Justice relating to Jeffrey Epstein,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 15, 2025
Mr. Khanna (for himself and Mr. Massie) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Attorney General to release all documents and records in
possession of the Department of Justice relating to Jeffrey Epstein,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Epstein Files Transparency Act''.
SEC. 2. RELEASE OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Attorney General shall, subject to subsection (b),
make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all
unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative
materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices,
that relate to:
(1) Jeffrey Epstein including all investigations,
prosecutions, or custodial matters.
(2) Ghislaine Maxwell.
(3) Flight logs or travel records, including but not
limited to manifests, itineraries, pilot records, and customs
or immigration documentation, for any aircraft, vessel, or
vehicle owned, operated, or used by Jeffrey Epstein or any
related entity.
(4) Individuals, including government officials, named or
referenced in connection with Epstein's criminal activities,
civil settlements, immunity or plea agreements, or
investigatory proceedings.
(5) Entities (corporate, nonprofit, academic, or
governmental) with known or alleged ties to Epstein's
trafficking or financial networks.
(6) Any immunity deals, non-prosecution agreements, plea
bargains, or sealed settlements involving Epstein or his
associates.
(7) Internal DOJ communications, including emails, memos,
meeting notes, concerning decisions to charge, not charge,
investigate, or decline to investigate Epstein or his
associates.
(8) All communications, memoranda, directives, logs, or
metadata concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration,
misplacement, or concealment of documents, recordings, or
electronic data related to Epstein, his associates, his
detention and death, or any investigative files.
(9) Documentation of Epstein's detention or death,
including incident reports, witness interviews, medical
examiner files, autopsy reports, and written records detailing
the circumstances and cause of death.
(b) Prohibited Grounds for Withholding.--
(1) No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on
the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political
sensitivity, including to any government official, public
figure, or foreign dignitary.
(c) Permitted Withholdings.--
(1) The Attorney general may withhold or redact the
segregable portions of records that--
(A) contain personally identifiable information of
victims or victims' personal and medical files and
similar files the disclosure of which would constitute
a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
(B) depict or contain child sexual abuse materials
(CSAM) as defined under 18 U.S.C. 2256 and prohibited
under 18 U.S.C. 2252-2252A;
(C) would jeopardize an active federal
investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that
such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary;
(D) depict or contain images of death, physical
abuse, or injury of any person; or
(E) contain information specifically authorized
under criteria established by an Executive order to be
kept secret in the interest of national defense or
foreign policy and are in fact properly classified
pursuant to such Executive order.
(2) All redactions must be accompanied by a written
justification published in the Federal Register and submitted
to Congress.
(3) To the extent that any covered information would
otherwise be redacted or withheld as classified information
under this section, the Attorney General shall declassify that
classified information to the maximum extent possible.
(A) If the Attorney General makes a determination
that covered information may not be declassified and
made available in a manner that protects the national
security of the United States, including methods or
sources related to national security, the Attorney
General shall release an unclassified summary for each
of the redacted or withheld classified information.
(4) All decisions to classify any covered information after
July 1, 2025 shall be published in the Federal Register and
submitted to Congress, including the date of classification,
the identity of the classifying authority, and an unclassified
summary of the justification.
SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
Within 15 days of completion of the release required under Section
2, the Attorney General shall submit to the House and Senate Committees
on the Judiciary a report listing:
(1) All categories of records released and withheld.
(2) A summary of redactions made, including legal basis.
(3) A list of all government officials and politically
exposed persons named or referenced in the released materials,
with no redactions permitted under subsection (b)(1).
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