Senator Marsha Blackburn is pressing newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel and acting IRS Commissioner Douglas O'Donnell to release unredacted records related to Jeffrey Epstein's associates, including flight logs, financial records, and surveillance footage. Blackburn's request intensifies longstanding demands for transparency regarding Epstein's network and the individuals linked to his sex trafficking operation.
"This critical information identifying every individual who could have participated in Jeffrey Epstein's abhorrent conduct is long overdue," Blackburn wrote in a letter to Patel. "The survivors of Mr. Epstein's horrific crimes want transparency and accountability, and they - and the American people - deserve nothing less."
Blackburn is seeking the FBI's complete records of Epstein's private jet and helicopter logs, as well as the unredacted version of Ghislaine Maxwell's "little black book" that allegedly contains the names of influential figures associated with Epstein. Additionally, she wants the IRS to disclose financial records revealing individuals and entities that maintained financial relationships with Epstein or Maxwell.
Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide, but speculation regarding his connections to high-profile individuals has continued to fuel demands for transparency.
During his Senate confirmation hearing last month, Patel pledged to work with Blackburn to provide greater transparency on Epstein-related files. However, it remains unclear whether the FBI will fully comply, as concerns persist about releasing personal information of individuals who had connections to Epstein but were not implicated in criminal activities.
Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed last week that Epstein's so-called "client list" is currently on her desk and under review for potential declassification. "That's been a directive by President Trump. I'm reviewing that," Bondi told Fox News, confirming she is assessing the contents under Trump's executive order to declassify federal records deemed to be in the public interest.
The disclosure of Epstein's client list has been a subject of intense speculation, with repeated calls for the government to make the information public. While some details have leaked in past lawsuits, the full list remains unpublished. A bipartisan congressional panel created through Trump's executive order has requested a review of the Epstein files. Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican tapped to lead the task force, responded to Bondi's remarks with, "Let's get this done!"
The FBI has previously released documents related to its investigations into Epstein, but none have contained the complete records that Blackburn and others are demanding. The agency under former Director Christopher Wray had pledged to "figure out if there's more information we can provide" but never followed up. "Over a year has elapsed since then, and we still do not have all of the necessary information regarding Jeffrey Epstein's crime," Blackburn wrote in her letter to Patel.
Trump's executive order directed the declassification of multiple federal records deemed of significant public interest, including those related to political assassinations, such as those of former President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Bondi confirmed that those files, along with the Epstein documents, are currently under review.
