Government Accountability Office to investigate release of Jeffrey Epstein files
April 28 (UPI) -- The Government Accountability Office said Tuesday it will examine the Department of Justice's release of the Epstein files in response to the concerns of senators.
The announcement comes after a similar announcement from the Justice Department on Thursday. It announced that its own Office of the Inspector General would also investigate the release.
The Justice Department released millions of pages of files from its investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November, which demanded the department release all files, only redacting the victims' identification. But many of the documents haven't been released, which the Justice Department has said are duplicates.
Members of Congress have also criticized the department for not redacting the names of some victims but redacting the names of some of Epstein's friends.
Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked the GAO last month to investigate how the department reviewed the files "and the resulting failure of the Department to follow the law, respond to Congress and protect victims," The Washington Post reported. The GAO is an independent agency under the umbrella of the legislative branch.
Merkley announced on Tuesday that the GAO has agreed to investigate.
"By illegally disregarding the law, the Trump Administration is cruelly denying 'equal justice under the law' to all of Jeffrey Epstein's victims," Merkley said in a statement. "This independent investigation is an important step in holding this administration accountable for siding with the rich and powerful to help cover up the abuse of our most vulnerable. I'll keep fighting to use all the tools at my disposal to deliver justice for Epstein's victims and transparency for the American people."
The GAO told Merkley that it will coordinate with the inspector general so that the two agencies don't duplicate each other's efforts.
On April 2, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the department to Congress.
"We were given 30 days to review and redact and un-redact millions of pages of documents. Our error rate is very low," she said.
Billionaire financier Epstein died by suicide in prison in 2019.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 11:43 AM.