WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday defended the Biden administration’s refusal to urge the Department of Justice to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, insisting that keeping the DOJ “independent” justified withholding the records despite growing public distrust in government transparency.
Speaking on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, Harris said the administration deliberately avoided intervening in DOJ decisions, even amid intense public and political pressure. She emphasized that the separation between the White House and federal prosecutors was not only intentional but necessary to prevent political interference in sensitive criminal matters.
Harris’s comments come as Attorney General Pam Bondi faces a Friday deadline to release Epstein-related records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Donald Trump last month. Trump has repeatedly blamed the Biden administration for failing to release documents earlier, claiming officials withheld all relevant material and accusing Democrats of politicizing the issue.
Under Biden, Harris said, the DOJ operated without regard to “political or personal vendettas,” a contrast Democrats have drawn with Trump’s more aggressive posture toward federal law enforcement. Epstein was arrested in 2019 during Trump’s first term and later died in federal custody in a death ruled a suicide, a conclusion reaffirmed this year by the DOJ and FBI, which also said Epstein did not maintain a so-called “client list.”
The issue continues to inflame public debate, with lawmakers from both parties calling for transparency while legal experts warn against undermining prosecutorial independence for political gain.
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