DOJ asks federal judge to reject appointment of special master in Epstein files case

The U.S. Department of Justice urged a federal judge to deny a request from two members of Congress for a special master to oversee the public release of records tied to the late financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

In a court filing to U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton argued that Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) lack legal standing to seek the appointment of a special master or independent monitor in the ongoing effort to fulfill statutory disclosure requirements.

"Representatives Khanna and Massie ​do not have standing, their ⁠stated objectives are in-consistent with the role of an amicus as well as the role of ‍the Court, and, in any event, there is no authority permitting the Court to grant the Representatives the ‌relief they improperly seek," DOJ said in the letter.

The lawmakers had said they asked the judge to apppint the special master given that the agency hasn't fully released all files despite the December 19 deadline in the bill Congress passed.