Washington, D.C. – The nation’s leading pro-democracy legal organization is suing the Trump-Vance administration in the first lawsuit to be filed over its handling of records commonly referred to as the Epstein Files – documents that the Attorney General previously indicated include a roster that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein kept of powerful clients to whom he trafficked underaged girls. 

Democracy Forward filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today, asking the court to order the government to produce the requested documents in an expedited manner, as required by public records laws. 

“President Trump has repeatedly said he would release the Epstein files, his spokesperson claims his administration is ‘the most transparent in history,’ and yet, they continue to hide from the American people. The only thing transparent about the Trump-Vance administration is how clearly they continue to disregard our nation’s laws,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Public records laws outline a clear and simple process that requires the government to immediately produce important documents in response to urgent public information requests, and yet again, this administration is ignoring the law. The court should intervene urgently to ensure the public has access to the information they need about this extraordinary situation.”

To shed light on the Trump-Vance administration’s handling of Epstein-related documents, Democracy Forward submitted several requests under the Freedom of Information Act to the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigations on July 25, 2025, seeking senior administration officials’ communications regarding Epstein documents, including those regarding correspondence between Trump and Epstein, as well as records concerning agency review of the Epstein matter itself. 

Citing “an extraordinary need to inform the public about the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein matter,” Democracy Forward also submitted a request for the government to produce the requested information in an expedited manner. Though the government acknowledged receipt of the original request, the appeal for urgency was ignored. Today’s lawsuit seeks to force the government to treat the matter with the importance it demands. 

The legal team at Democracy Forward on this case includes Senior Oversight Counsel Daniel McGrath, Counsel Amy C. Vickery, and Legal Director Robin Thurston. 

Read the complaint here. 

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.