Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Sunday they are committed to holding Justice Department officials accountable for their failure to release all eligible Jeffrey Epstein files by Friday’s deadline, saying they're speaking with members of Congress about holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt.
"The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi," Massie said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation" when he was asked how Congress can force the Justice Department to release the rest of the files it has related to Epstein.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Sunday on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that calls to impeach Justice Department officials for their handling of the release are "premature" after Khanna floated the possibility of impeachment Friday.
On Sunday, Kaine pointed to other mechanisms Congress has to prompt the Trump administration to release certain information.
"We have tools in appropriations bills and other tools to force compliance if somebody is dragging their feet, and I'd rather focus on those tools than get into discussions about contempt and impeachment," Kaine said.
He pointed specifically to a provision in defense funding legislation that could limit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel budget next year if the Defense Department doesn't release video of certain strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean.
Khanna and Massie last month led efforts in Congress to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compelled the Trump administration to release all unclassified files it has related to Epstein by Dec. 19.
On Friday, the department released thousands of files but not all the documents Khanna and Massie expected, leading to widespread condemnation of the Justice Department on both sides of the aisle.
Khanna told CNN on Friday: “Congress is talking about possible impeachment. They’re talking about inherent contempt for the attorney general or deputy attorney general."
He added, “Any Justice Department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration."
Asked about Kaine’s comments, Khanna said lawmakers “only need the House for inherent contempt" and added that "we’re building a bipartisan coalition, and it would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she’s not releasing these documents.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who appeared on "Meet the Press" just before Kaine, said Sunday that the complete files would be released but that attorneys in the Justice Department were still working to redact information and photos related to Epstein's victims.
"We're going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims' names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the Transparency Act expects," Blanche said.
He also responded to remarks from Massie and Khanna about possible impeachment or contempt in Congress, saying he doesn't take the threats seriously, "not even a little bit."
"Bring it on," he added. "We are doing everything we’re supposed to be doing to comply with this statute. And Congressman Massey and these other congressmen that are coming out speaking negatively about [FBI] Director [Kash] Patel and the attorney general have no idea what they’re talking about."
Massie hasn't called for Congress to impeach Justice Department officials, but he pointed to a provision in the Epstein Files Transparency Act that would allow future presidential administrations to prosecute current Justice Department officials who don't comply with the legislation's deadlines.
"A future DOJ could convict the current AG and others because the Epstein Files Transparency Act is not like a Congressional Subpoena which expires at the end of each Congress," Massie wrote Friday on X.
On Sunday, Kaine also spoke about multiple undated photos of former President Bill Clinton that were released without context in the Epstein files Friday, saying Clinton "should address" the photos.
"If there are unanswered questions, you know, he should address them, and I suspect he will," Kaine said. Clinton hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing.
In a statement Friday, a spokesperson for Clinton said: "The White House hasn't been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn't about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be."
Blanche said Sunday that the Justice Department doesn't plan to charge anyone based on anything in the released files.
"We are not prepared to bring charges against anybody, but we are learning new information all the time," he said on "Meet the Press."
