Advocacy group Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit Friday against the Justice Department and the FBI seeking records about their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.
The group is demanding documents related to communications among senior administration officials concerning Epstein files, as well as any correspondence between Epstein and former President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington, follows unfulfilled Freedom of Information Act requests submitted in late July.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the Democratic-aligned group, urged the court to act quickly to ensure public access to information about the “extraordinary situation.” Government agencies often withhold records linked to criminal investigations from public view.
Democracy Forward has brought numerous lawsuits challenging Trump administration policies and executive orders.
Public interest in the case surged after the Justice Department announced last month it would not release further documents related to the investigation. This decision drew criticism from conspiracy theorists, online investigators, and some Trump supporters who sought evidence of a cover-up.
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The Trump administration’s effort to unseal grand jury transcripts was denied by a Florida judge, who ruled that the request did not meet the legal exceptions for public release. A similar request is pending in New York.
Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed the Justice Department for investigation files, part of a congressional probe examining possible links between Epstein and Trump or other high-level officials.
Since Epstein’s 2019 death in custody while awaiting sex trafficking trial, conspiracy theories about the extent of investigations and who knew about his crimes have circulated widely. Trump has denied any prior knowledge of Epstein’s offenses and said he ended their association years ago, while attempting to move beyond the Justice Department’s decision to withhold full investigation details. However, lawmakers from both parties continue to pursue the matter.