A bipartisan pair of lawmakers, Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, warned about possibly holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt. The comments follow the heavily redacted files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that the Department of Justice has released so far.
The lawmakers accuse the DOJ of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act and are threatening to use the rare but powerful tool of inherent contempt, which could involve fining the Attorney General for every day the documents are not fully released.
'The Quickest Way to Get Justice'
Massie appeared on Sunday's CBS 'Face the Nation,' where he said that he intends to hold DOJ officials accountable over their handling of the Epstein files release. Both Khanna and Massie said they are speaking with their fellow members of Congress about holding Bondi in inherent contempt.
'The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims, is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,' said Massie when asked if Congress could force the DOJ to release the rest of the Epstein files. Massie's comments echoed Khanna's remarks on CNN on Friday that impeachment may also be considered by Congress.
'Congress is talking about possible impeachment. They're talking about inherent contempt for the attorney general or deputy attorney general,' said Khanna. 'Any Justice Department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration.'
.@RepThomasMassie & I announce that we are bringing inherent contempt against Bondi. DOJ cowers & re-releases the 119 page document, now with "minimal redactions."
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) December 21, 2025
Massie & I are different.
We do not just do memes or speeches.
We take action to fight a corrupt system. https://t.co/seH4Ipjdv6
DOJ Deputy AG Responds to Contempt Comments
In a defiant response, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he was not concerned about the warnings made by the two lawmakers. Blanche said the complete files related to Epstein would be released, but that the DOJ is still working to redact possible information and photos related to the sex offender's victims.
'We're going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims' names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the Transparency Act expects,' said Blanche.
'Bring it on,' Blanche continued, when asked about the comments by Massie and Khanna. 'We are doing everything we're supposed to be doing to comply with this statute. And Congressman Massie and these other congressmen that are coming out speaking negatively about Director Patel and the Attorney General have no idea what they're talking about.'
Massie Criticises Trump Administration Over Release
The DOJ released a stream of files related to Epstein on 19 December, the deadline of the legislation that prompted the Trump administration to do so. However, Massie criticised the release, saying that it 'grossly fails' to uphold the law he co-authored.
In posts on X on 19 and 20 December, Massie said Bondi, echoing criticisms by Khanna, who was also a co-author of the bill.
A future DOJ could convict the current AG and others because the Epstein Files Transparency Act is not like a Congressional Subpoena which expires at the end of each Congress.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 20, 2025
'Unfortunately, today's document release by AG Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and letter of the law that President Donald Trump signed just 30 days ago. Rep. Ro Khanna is correct,' said Massie in a post quoting Khanna.
Democratic Lawmaker Says Impeachment 'Premature'
However, not all Democrats are on board with such an aggressive tactic. On Sunday, Senator Tim Kaine told NBC's Meet the Press that he considered the impeachment threat 'premature'. Kaine suggested Congress should use other methods to compel the administration to release the information.
'We have tools in appropriations bills and other tools to force compliance if somebody is dragging their feet, and I'd rather focus on those tools than get into discussions about contempt and impeachment,' Kaine said.
Khanna quickly countered, arguing that inherent contempt is a direct and effective tool. 'We're building a bipartisan coalition and it would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she's not releasing these documents,' he stated.
