The Department of Justice Inspector General will investigate the agency's release of the Epstein files, it announced Thursday.

The DOJ released the Epstein files after the passage of a law mandating their release. Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the department drew scrutiny for its rollout of the documents, which saw the agency miss the statutory deadline.

“Our preliminary objective is to evaluate the DOJ’s processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the Act,” IG William Blier said, according to Politico.

The "Epstein files" refer to federal documents related to the prosecution and investigation of the late sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump promised to release the documents.

In 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi drew flak for a botched release of the files in which she distributed binders of largely public information to influencers. Backlash steadily mounted, leading to the congressional effort to force the release of the files.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.