Attorney General Mayes Leads Coalition of Attorneys General Urging Congress to Pass Epstein Files Transparency Act II

PHOENIX—Attorney General Kris Mayes today led a coalition of attorneys general today in sending a letter to Congressional leadership urging swift passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act II (EFTA II), legislation that would give state attorneys general and survivors the power to enforce the transparency Congress already demanded.
 
The letter, addressed to Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, supports H.R. 9694 and its Senate companion, S. 5005.
 
Congress passed the original Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA I), which took effect November 19, 2025 (Public Law 119-38), to give survivors and the public access to the full investigative record of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. The law required the U.S. Department of Justice to make the files publicly available by December 19, 2025. Nearly a year later, the Department has not met that obligation. In Phang v. Blanche, a federal court in the District of Columbia noted that the Attorney General conceded he is in violation of the Act.

"Nearly a year after the deadline set by Congress, the Department of Justice is still withholding millions of documents while exposing the personal information of victims it was supposed to protect. That is unacceptable," said Attorney General Mayes. "The Epstein Files Transparency Act II gives state attorneys general and survivors the tools to enforce the law Congress already passed, so that no federal agency is above it. Justice and accountability are not partisan issues, and I urge Congress to act swiftly.”

According to the letter, DOJ released only a limited portion of the files on the December 19, 2025 deadline, and later disclosures also fell short. Millions of documents remain withheld, often on the basis of legal privilege. At the same time, a Wall Street Journal review found that the personal information of at least 43 victims was exposed in the files that were released, despite the protections written into EFTA I.

In the letter, the attorneys general emphasize that the shortfall affects states directly. State law enforcement and prosecutors need full access to unredacted investigative records, including relevant FBI 302 reports, to investigate and pursue matters within their jurisdictions. Survivors, meanwhile, continue to be denied closure and control over their own records.
 
What EFTA II would do

• Create an expedited right of action. State attorneys general, authorized state officials, victims, and members of Congress would have explicit standing to sue the U.S. Attorney General in federal court for unlawfully withholding, delaying, or heavily redacting Epstein-related records.
• Protect survivor access. Victims would be guaranteed the right to access unredacted records about themselves and the harms they suffered.
• Eliminate evasions. DOJ would be barred from invoking common law privileges, such as the deliberative process privilege, to avoid the disclosure requirements Congress enacted.
• Enforce accountability. Federal officials who knowingly conceal, destroy, or improperly withhold mandated files would be subject to existing federal penalties.

The letter also notes that the pursuit of justice and public accountability transcends partisanship, and urges Congress to act so that no federal agency places itself above the law.
 
Joining the letter co-led by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford are the attorneys general from California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.