Attorney General Ellison urges swift passage of latest Epstein Files Transparency Act

Joins 17 AGs in urging Congress quickly pass Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which would give state AGs and survivors the power to enforce the transparency that Congress has already demanded but Trump Administration has ignored

Under first Epstein Files Transparency Act, Trump’s DOJ was supposed to make files publicly available last December and has not done so, in violation of the Act

October 16, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in sending a letter to congressional leadership urging swift passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act II (EFTA II), legislation that would give state attorneys general and survivors the power to enforce the transparency that Congress has already demanded.

The letter, addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, supports H.R. 9694 and its Senate companion, S. 5005.

Congress passed the original Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA I), which took effect November 19, 2025 (Public Law 119-38), to give survivors and the public access to the full investigative record of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. It passed the House on a vote of 427–1 and passed the Senate on unanimous consent. The law required the U.S. Department of Justice to make the files publicly available by December 19, 2025. Despite this requirement, nearly a year later, the Department has not met that obligation. In Phang v. Blanche, a federal court in the District of Columbia noted that the U.S. Attorney General conceded he is in violation of the Act.

"We shouldn’t be surprised — but should be shocked that — that Trump’s DOJ continues to disregard the clear requirements of the law that Congress passed nearly unanimously. Not only has the Trump Administration withheld millions of documents they were required to release, they have exposed the personal information of victims they were supposed to protect,” said Attorney General Ellison. "No federal agency is above the law and a new one shouldn’t even be necessary. But because it is, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II gives state attorneys general and survivors the tools to enforce the law Congress already passed. The public demand for this law is overwhelming and there is nothing partisan about it, so I urge Congress to act swiftly.”

As Attorney General Ellison and the coalition make clear in their letter to congressional leaders today, DOJ released only a limited portion of the files on the December 19, 2025 deadline, and later disclosures also fell short. Millions of documents remain withheld, often on the basis of legal privilege. At the same time, a Wall Street Journal review found that the personal information of at least 43 victims was exposed in the files that were released, despite the protections written into EFTA I.

In the letter, the attorneys general emphasize that the shortfall affects states directly. State law enforcement and prosecutors need full access to unredacted investigative records, including relevant FBI 302 reports, to investigate and pursue matters within their jurisdictions. Survivors, meanwhile, continue to be denied closure and control over their own records.

What EFTA II would do

• Create an expedited right of action. State attorneys general, authorized state officials, victims, and members of Congress would have explicit standing to sue the U.S. Attorney General in federal court for unlawfully withholding, delaying, or heavily redacting Epstein-related records.
• Protect survivor access. Victims would be guaranteed the right to access unredacted records about themselves and the harms they suffered.
• Eliminate evasions. DOJ would be barred from invoking common law privileges, such as the deliberative process privilege, to avoid the disclosure requirements Congress enacted.
• Enforce accountability. Federal officials who knowingly conceal, destroy, or improperly withhold mandated files would be subject to existing federal penalties.

Attorney General Ellison and the coalition stress in their letter that the pursuit of justice and public accountability transcends partisanship. They urge Congress to act so that no federal agency places itself above the law.

Joining Attorney General Ellison in the letter to congressional leaders are the attorneys general of Arizona California, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.