US President Donald Trump has yet to sign legislation to release documents related to the investigation into convicted and deceased paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. When he does, the Justice Department will be required to comply within 30 days.
The American news site Axios also points out that there are clauses in the bill that allow parts of the investigation to remain in the dock.
First, there is a clause that allows US Attorney General Pam Bondi, handpicked by Trump, to suppress all or part of the material if it “would jeopardize an ongoing federal investigation or prosecution.” This should be seen in light of Trump’s order last week to the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s ties to, among others, former President Bill Clinton, who belongs to the opposition Democratic party.
Second, the Justice Department will be able to screen what is released if it could be politically sensitive or could damage the reputation of “government employees, public figures or foreign dignitaries,” Axios writes. However, the department must present to Congress which documents were withheld or redacted, and the legal basis for doing so.
The Department of Justice may also withhold or mask, for example, victims' names, medical records, child pornography or images of "death, abuse or injury."
