Epstein survivor backs bid to appoint court monitor, has 'no confidence' in Trump DOJ
Today marks the one-month anniversary of the government's deadline to release the files.
One of Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors who appeared in front of Capitol Hill late last year in support of legislation to release the investigative file urged a federal judge to appoint a so-called special master as a monitor to oversee the release of the files.
Lisa Phillips told a judge that she had “no confidence” that Trump’s Justice Department would comply with federal law mandating the release of the files, “already 30 days late” on the deadline “with no end in sight.”
“Based on my personal experience, the Department of Justice’s continued failure to comply with its statutory obligations has caused significant emotional distress and retraumatization, both to me and to other survivors with whom I regularly speak,” Phillips wrote.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who spearheaded the effort to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, asked a federal judge overseeing Ghislaine Maxwell’s docket to appoint a special master earlier this month. Phillips filed her sworn declaration in support of that effort.
She is represented by attorney and legal commentator Michael Popok, the co-founder of Legal AF.
“The Department of Justice’s conduct regarding the Epstein files constitutes willful violations of the Act and undermine survivors’ trust in the integrity of the process and in the Government’s publicly-announced commitments to transparency and accountability,” her declaration reads.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer questioned last week whether he has the power to issue such an order and whether lawmakers had standing. Instead of filing a separate lawsuit about the request, Khanna and Massie submitted a letter to Engelmayer in connection with Maxwell’s closed criminal docket.
The Justice Department argues that the judge “lacks the authority” to appoint a monitor to enforce compliance with the act.
Phillips told the judge such a monitor is necessary.
“Without independent oversight supervised by this Court, survivors—including me—remain at risk of continued delay, obfuscation, and further trauma caused by uncertainty and broken assurances,” the declaration states.
You can read the declaration in full here.
Thanks Adam!
Thanks, Adam. Of course, Trump has already stated that the release is not going to happen, but this sounds like a feasible wedge, and it certainly will have wide public support.