A leading Democrat in the House of Representatives is challenging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to explain its decision earlier this year to drop its investigation into alleged co-conspirators of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, has sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding a full explanation for what he describes as the abrupt abandonment of a probe that survivors say was actively gathering detailed evidence.
According to reports citing Raskin’s letter to Bondi, nearly 50 survivors had provided detailed testimony to prosecutors and the FBI about how Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and others orchestrated a “sophisticated and clandestine sex trafficking conspiracy.”
The survivors reportedly shared “precise and detailed” information, including the specific identities of many alleged co-conspirators. They also provided insight into the operation’s structure and financing.
“I write to demand an explanation for why DOJ has abandoned the women and girls abused by Mr. Epstein, Ms. Maxwell, and their co-conspirators, fired or cut off career prosecutors from the case, and ceased its investigation into one of the largest sex trafficking rings in history,” Raskin wrote.
The investigation, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office previously handled for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), was reportedly active until January 2025. At that time, Raskin noted a “sudden and dramatic shift in the posture of the investigation,” with files being transferred to DOJ headquarters.
Since the transfer, Raskin contends, the probe has “inexplicably ceased,” citing information from attorneys representing the survivors.
In July, the DOJ published the results of an internal review into the evidence collected in the Epstein case. The review concluded that the department did not possess a “client list” and found no evidence “that could predicate any investigation against uncharged third parties.”
In his letter, Raskin explicitly stated, “The Trump Administration has inexplicably killed this investigation.”
He is requesting a comprehensive accounting from the DOJ, including:
- An explanation for the decision to cease the investigation.
- A summary of the steps taken by the DOJ to review the case this year.
- Copies of any summaries or reports produced.
- Staffing documents related to the probe.
READ: Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s ‘SAFE KIDS Act’ To Stop Adversary Baby Trafficking
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