Attorney General Ford Co-Leads Coalition Urging Congress to Strengthen Transparency and Accountability in Epstein Files Release
Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that he has co-led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in urging Congress to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act II (H.R. 9694/S. 5005), legislation aimed at strengthening transparency, protecting survivors and holding the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accountable for releasing records related to Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators.
In a letter addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, the coalition expressed strong support for the legislation, citing the DOJ's failure to fully comply with existing federal disclosure requirements and concerns over the release of victims' personal information.
"Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's horrific crimes deserve justice, transparency and accountability, not more delays and unanswered questions," said Attorney General Ford. "Congress made its intentions clear when it required these records to be released, and the Department of Justice must follow the law. I'm proud to co-lead this effort to ensure survivors have access to the information they deserve and that no federal agency is above accountability."
Protecting survivors of sexual exploitation and holding offenders accountable are critical responsibilities of the Nevada Attorney General's Office. The proposed legislation would support those efforts by strengthening survivors' access to records concerning their abuse and ensuring state law enforcement agencies can obtain investigative information needed to pursue justice.
The original Epstein Files Transparency Act, enacted in November 2025, required the DOJ to publicly release records related to Epstein by Dec. 19, 2025. However, the coalition notes that the department failed to meet that deadline, has continued to withhold millions of records and has improperly disclosed identifying information belonging to victims.
The attorneys general argue that these failures have hindered transparency, delayed justice for survivors and limited state law enforcement agencies' ability to access investigative records needed to pursue potential criminal matters within their jurisdictions.
The proposed Epstein Files Transparency Act II would address these concerns by:
- Strengthening enforcement: Allowing state attorneys general, authorized state officials, survivors and members of Congress to challenge the unlawful withholding, delay or excessive redaction of records in federal court.
- Protecting survivors: Guaranteeing victims access to unredacted records concerning themselves and the harms they suffered.
- Closing legal loopholes: Preventing the DOJ from using certain legal privileges to avoid disclosure requirements.
- Ensuring accountability: Applying existing federal penalties to officials who knowingly conceal, destroy or improperly withhold required records.
In their letter, the attorneys general emphasize that transparency and accountability should transcend political divisions and that survivors deserve access to the records necessary to understand the full scope of Epstein's crimes.
The coalition urges Congress to swiftly pass the legislation to ensure federal agencies comply with the law and survivors are not denied access to justice.
Joining Nevada Attorney General Ford, Arizona Attorney General Mayes and New Mexico Attorney General Torrez in signing the letter are the attorneys general of California, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
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