• Massie, Khanna plan ‘inherent contempt’ over partial release; measure skips courts, only needs simple House majority vote • Justice Department restores Trump-Epstein photo after backlash; released trove remains heavily redacted • Officials say redactions necessary to protect active investigations, victim privacy TWO US lawmakers from opposing parties threatened on Sunday to bring inherent inherent contempt proceedings against Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing the Justice Department of defying a federal mandate to fully release its investigation files on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, BBC News reported. Republican Rep Thomas Massie, a leading advocate for the transparency legislation, said the department failed to meet Friday’s statutory deadline. He argued the agency released heavily redacted material while withholding crucial internal documents regarding prosecutorial decisions, despite a law requiring full disclosure. “The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi, and that doesn’t require going through the courts,” Massie told CBS . The congressman said he is drafting the measure alongside Democrat Rep Ro Khanna, signaling a bipartisan collaboration in the dispute over the documents. Mr Khanna, appearing on the same programme, explained that inherent contempt could allow the House of Representatives to levy fines against Bondi for every day of noncompliance. Inherent contempt is a seldom-used congressional authority that allows either the House or Senate to try and punish executive branch officials for obstructing the legislative process. According to the American Bar Association, the power has not been invoked in nearly a century. Unlike impeachment, Massie noted, the move would only require a simple majority vote in the House of Representatives. “We’re building a bipartisan coalition, and it would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she’s not releasing these documents,” Mr Khanna said. The confrontation follows the Friday deadline established by a law President Donald Trump signed in November. The legislation, born from pressure within the Republican Party and from advocates for sex abuse survivors, compelled the Department of Justice (DoJ) to release the full trove of information amassed during its two criminal investigations into Epstein. While the department released thousands of pages, officials acknowledged withholding certain records. The agency said it redacted personal information of victims, content showing child or physical abuse, and records endangering ongoing investigations or national security. Mr Massie expressed frustration that the release provided limited new information regarding Epstein’s crimes and omitted internal memos that would explain controversial charging decisions made by prosecutors years ago. “It’s very troubling the posture that they have taken,” Mr Massie said. “I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied.” Ms Bondi has previously defended her agency’s conduct, describing herself as part of “the most transparent administration in American history”. The Justice Department has said more material will be released in the coming weeks. Photo restored Tensions flared further over the weekend after the department temporarily removed a specific file from its website: an image showing President Trump with Epstein, first lady Melania Trump and Epstein’s convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The removal sparked immediate backlash from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, who asked in a social media post, “What else is being covered up?” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche rejected accusations that the removal was politically motivated. DoJ, in a post on X, said the image was taken down “out of an abundance of caution” because it was part of a batch of files containing unredacted images of women that required further review to protect victim privacy. “It has nothing to do with President Trump,” Blanche told NBC News , calling the suggestion of political favouritism “laughable”. He noted that “there are dozens of photos of President Trump already released to the public seeing him with Mr Epstein”. The image was reposted without alteration after officials determined no victims were depicted. The photograph captures a collection of framed pictures on a cabinet in one of Epstein’s homes. It also shows an open drawer filled with other photos. The handling of the digital archive drew scrutiny beyond the single photo. At least 13 files mysteriously disappeared from the website by Saturday without explanation. Observers noted inconsistencies in the redaction process within those files. While most women pictured on the wall had their faces obscured, one face was redacted in one file but visible in three others. Another face remained unredacted across all files. Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2025