Senate Democrats Warn Justice Department of Consequences If Epstein Files Are Not Released

Dec 21, 2025 07:21 PM EST, Sun

‘We smell a rat’: Senate Dem warns of consequences if DOJ fails to release Epstein files

“We do not think the administration is going to release the information on Friday by midnight that Americans are expecting,” Sen. Jeff Merkley told MS NOW.

Dec. 18, 2025, 1:54 PM EST By Allison Detzel

The deadline is nearing for the Justice Department to release all of its files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Last month, Congress passed the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the government to make public all material on the convicted sex offender by the end of Friday.

Ahead of that deadline, Democratic lawmakers are warning the Trump administration that there will be repercussions if it fails to comply. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who both sponsored the initial legislation, have threatened to block any pending civilian nominees before the Senate until the White House releases the documents.

“There can be no business as usual until justice is delivered for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes,” the senators wrote in a statement.

On Wednesday, Merkley joined MS NOW’s “The Weeknight” to discuss his concerns and whether he thought Republicans would join Democrats in fighting for transparency from Donald Trump’s Justice Department.

“Look, we smell a rat,” Merkley said. “We do not think the administration is going to release the information on Friday by midnight that Americans are expecting. I think they’re going to use one excuse or another and we’re going to see a whole lot of blanked-out pages.”

The Oregon Democrat noted that shortly before the Epstein legislation passed, Trump directed the DOJ to open new investigations into several Democrats whose names had been included in previously released documents from the late financier’s estate.

Any open investigations would likely make it easier for the administration to justify not releasing some documents.

Merkley said that by launching investigations, the administration created “an excuse to say, ‘Hey, if there’s investigations underway, maybe we can’t release information, might compromise those investigations,’” adding that the “whole thing sounded very, very phony.”

The senator said he and his colleagues have “experts lined up from all different sectors” to look over whatever files the government hands over. “They know kind of what’s supposed to be there, and if it’s not there we’re going to be getting their feedback,” he said. “If the pages are simply missing, they’re missing. But if they’re blacked out, well, that will be obvious to all of America.”

Merkley also said he thinks there is “Republican partnership” on the issue. “Listen, the MAGA base believed that these files needed to be released. They came down on this side of ‘We’re not going to protect pedophiles,’ and so we have that support,” he said.

You can watch Merkley’s full interview on “The Weeknight” in the clip at the top of the page.

Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.

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