Schumer to force Senate vote on suing DOJ

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday that he will force the Senate to vote on suing the Department of Justice for the full release of files relating to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Schumer’s announcement came three days after the DOJ missed last week’s deadline to release all of the documents required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November.

All documents were required by the law to be released on Friday with minimal redactions. Only a fraction of the total files relating to Epstein have been released so far.

“Instead of transparency, the Trump administration released a tiny fraction of the files and blacked out massive portions of what little they provided,” Schumer said in a statement. “Republicans should again show that same support for upholding the bipartisan law we passed and demand the Trump administration release all the Epstein files.”

Schumer’s resolution would force Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to “initiate or intervene in one or more civil actions in the name of the Senate in a Federal Court of competent jurisdiction” to compel the release of the Epstein files.

Schumer intends to force consideration of the resolution when the Senate reconvenes in the New Year. Senate Republicans previously joined with Democrats to unanimously pass the law requiring the release of the Epstein files.

Over the weekend, several photos, including one that contained images of Trump’s face, were removed from the Justice Department’s repository for the Epstein files. The photos were later restored. Trump has long denied any wrongdoing in association with Epstein.