Bonta and 16 Other Attorneys General Urge Congress to Pass Epstein Files Transparency Act II
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta, alongside a coalition of 17 attorneys general, on October 15 joined a comment letter urging Congress to swiftly pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act II (EFTA II), his office announced.
The first Epstein Files Transparency Act, enacted on November 19, 2025, required the U.S. Department of Justice to publicly release all unclassified records, communications and investigative materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates in searchable format within 30 days. The Justice Department missed its December 19, 2025 deadline, and its initial production was incomplete, according to the Attorney General's Office.
The proposed EFTA II, co-sponsored by Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, aims to enforce compliance by allowing state and local authorities to sue the U.S. Attorney General over unlawfully withheld or redacted records, and introduces criminal penalties for non-compliant Justice Department employees. Although the bill is currently stalled in the House Judiciary Committee, its authors announced in mid-September that they had secured the 218 commitments needed for a discharge petition to force a floor vote during the post-election lame-duck session.
"The systemic cover-up of this global pedophilic sex trafficking ring is a glaring stain on our nation, and it is time to clean house. For too long, those in power have silenced these survivors and hidden behind redactions. That cover-up must end," Bonta said. "Passing EFTA II will grant my office legal tools needed to help pursue justice and criminal accountability right here in California."
In sending the letter, Bonta joined the attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国国会大厦（资料图，Wikimedia Commons，公共领域）。The U.S. Capitol (file photo, Wikimedia Commons, public domain).
