Sen. Marsha Blackburn urged newly inaugurated FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday to release the agency's "complete, unredacted records" on sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, the New York Post has reported.
The Tennessee Republican, who has made the same request of acting IRS Commissioner Douglas O'Donnell to release the service's records on the matter, wrote in a letter to Patel that "this critical information identifying every individual who could have participated in Jeffrey Epstein's abhorrent conduct is long overdue."
The senator added that "the survivors of Mr. Epstein's horrific crimes want transparency and accountability, and they — and the American people — deserve nothing less."
During his confirmation hearing, Patel told Blackburn that he would "absolutely" work with her to increase transparency on those files, according to the Post.
Epstein, a financier who was well-connected in elite circles, died in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on child sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
Blackburn is demanding the FBI turn over the complete flight logs from Epstein's jet and helicopter, as well as records from his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell — including her "little black book" containing the names and contact info of the rich and famous.
Although redacted versions of the black book and flight logs have leaked online or appeared in past lawsuits, Blackburn wants the full version to be made public, the Post reported.
"Since Mr. Epstein's death in 2019, there is still much about this tragic case that is not known — including the names of his associates that are listed in the flight logs of his private jet and in Ghislaine Maxwell's 'little black book,'" Blackburn wrote. "It is paramount that the FBI provide full transparency to the American people and immediately release the complete, unredacted records in this case."
The senator also wants the IRS to produce "any and all" documents that "reveal the names of individuals and entities that held any kind of financial relationship" with Epstein or Maxwell, along with all IRS files on the pair.
But there are concerns about releasing personal information of individuals who met with Epstein but did not commit any criminal conduct.
Blackburn has long battled for access to the records, having also pressed Patel's predecessor, Christopher Wray, to turn over the material.
Blackburn noted to Patel that, despite more than a year passing, "Wray never provided any such follow-up information" after he told the Senate Judiciary Committee in December 2023 that his team would "figure out if there's more information we can provide" on Epstein.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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