Former Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly said Wednesday that the Biden administration was right to avoid pressuring the Department of Justice to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arguing that maintaining strict separation between the White House and federal law enforcement was essential.
Harris made the comments during an appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, where she was asked about the handling of Epstein-related records while she served in the Biden administration. “We strongly and rightly believed that there should be an absolute separation between what we wanted as an administration and what the Department of Justice did,” Harris said. “We absolutely adhered to that, and it was right to do that.”
Her remarks come as Attorney General Pam Bondi faces a Friday deadline to publicly release Epstein-related files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The legislation passed Congress last month with near-unanimous support and was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The act requires the Justice Department to disclose documents tied to the disgraced financier, with protections in place for victims and individuals not accused of crimes.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump said he would consider releasing the Epstein files if elected, while emphasizing the need to safeguard victims’ privacy. After returning to office, Trump initially dismissed the renewed push for release as a Democrat-driven “hoax,” before reversing course as Republicans in Congress joined calls for transparency.
After signing the bill, Trump placed blame squarely on the Biden administration, writing on Truth Social that Biden officials “did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to” Epstein. He accused Democrats of using the issue as a political distraction from his administration’s achievements.
Harris rejected that characterization, saying that under former President Joe Biden, the Justice Department operated independently and without political interference. “The DOJ would make its decisions independent of any political or personal vendetta or concern that we may have,” she said.
Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking of minors in July 2019, during Trump’s first term. He died in federal custody just over a month later in what authorities ruled a suicide. Earlier this year, the DOJ and FBI under the Trump administration reaffirmed that conclusion and stated that Epstein did not maintain a “client list,” a determination that angered many Trump supporters who have long demanded greater transparency in the case.
The administration’s assessment fueled bipartisan frustration, with lawmakers from both parties calling for public access to the government’s Epstein files. That pressure ultimately led to the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Harris’s comments highlight a clear contrast between how the two administrations have framed the issue. While Trump has accused Biden officials of stonewalling and politicizing the matter, Harris tried to claim that the Biden White House acted appropriately.
As the release deadline approaches, attention now turns to Attorney General Bondi and what the Justice Department will disclose. The outcome is expected to test long-standing tensions between demands for transparency and claims of prosecutorial independence, while reopening one of the most controversial cases in recent memory.
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