California Attorney General and a coalition of 17 attorneys general joined a comment letter urging Congress to swiftly pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act II (EFTA II), his office said Oct. 15, 2026.
“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.
He also said, “Passing EFTA II will grant my office legal tools needed to help pursue justice and criminal accountability right here in California.”
According to the release, Congress passed the original Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 19, 2025. It 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 a searchable format within 30 days. The law prohibited withholding information to protect public figures but allowed narrow exceptions for victim privacy, child sexual abuse material, national security and active investigations.
The release said the U.S. DOJ missed its Dec. 19, 2025, deadline with an initial production that was “incomplete and haphazard.”
EFTA II would let state and local authorities sue the U.S. attorney general over unlawfully withheld or redacted records, establish broad legal standing for states, residents and law enforcement agencies, exempt requests from agency regulations that could prevent disclosure, and add criminal penalties for DOJ employees who do not comply, according to the release.
The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. , a Democrat who represents part of Silicon Valley. The release said it is stalled in the House Judiciary Committee, but the authors announced in mid-September 2026 that they had secured 218 commitments for a discharge petition to force a floor vote during the post-election lame-duck session.
Bonta signed the letter with the attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Federal
Ro Khanna
U.S. Representative · Democrat
Named 2 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Rob Bonta
Attorney General · Democrat
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
Sources & methodology
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