Justice Department says the committee's recommendations have already been addressed
United States Department of JusticeJustice Department spokesperson, in a statement to ABC News
A Justice Department spokesperson says the chairman's recommendations have already been addressed, and that the attorney general has repeatedly said the Epstein case is not closed and there is no statute of limitations on human trafficking.
Responding to
The committee's recommendations to the Justice Department have already been addressed, and the FBI already has a process for crime victims and their representatives to obtain their files.
“With all due respect, the Chairman's recommendations have already been addressed. The Attorney General has repeatedly said that the Epstein case is not closed and there is no statute of limitations on human trafficking.”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
House Oversight Republicans' Epstein report faults federal prosecutors and the Justice Department; the department says its recommendations are already addressed, and Garcia calls the probe incomplete
On November 10, 2026, the Republican majority of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a 137-page staff report closing its 15-month investigation of how the federal government handled the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases. The report says Epstein's crimes after 2005 could have been prevented had it not been for the failures of investigators and federal prosecutors, including the 2007 non-prosecution agreement in South Florida. It also faults the Justice Department for missed disclosure deadlines and for redactions that exposed survivors' personal information when it released files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The report recommends that the department interview or reinterview key witnesses, further investigate Epstein's former assistant Lesley Groff and allegations a former assistant made against two men, and give survivors access to their records in unredacted form. It says the facts gathered do not suggest President Trump is implicated in any of Epstein's crimes, and it accuses committee Democrats of trying to implicate him. A Justice Department spokesperson said the chairman's recommendations had already been addressed and that the Epstein case is not closed. Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee's top Democrat, said the report rests on an incomplete investigation with no public hearings and said Democrats will continue the inquiry when they take control of the House in January.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
ABC News report on the committee's findings, with the Justice Department spokesperson's full response and a statement from Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee's top Democrat.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Associated Press report on the report's criticism of how the Justice Department released Epstein records, with a statement from a department spokesperson.
Before the quotation
The committee's report faulted the department for missing disclosure deadlines under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and for releasing sensitive information about victims, and recommended that it renew its investigation of Epstein's associates.
After the quotation
The spokesperson said the FBI already has a process for crime victims and their representatives to access their files, starting with form DOJ-361, and that the department will continue following investigative leads related to Epstein.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The report says the department must reinterview witnesses, investigate Epstein's associates and give survivors access to their records. The department answers that those recommendations have already been addressed, which disputes the report's account of what is still left to do.
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Read the full caseRobert Garcia says Oversight Republicans' Epstein report rests on an incomplete investigation
“Oversight Republicans have released a report based on an incomplete investigation and zero public hearings on Jeffrey Epstein”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Justice Department says the committee's recommendations have already been addressed". First published: 2026-11-13. Last updated: 2026-11-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/8873-a-justice-department-spokesperson-says-the-chairman-s