A key provision in the newly passed Epstein Files Transparency Act is drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, legal experts, and victims’ advocates who worry it could give Attorney General Pam Bondi broad authority to withhold information the public has waited years to see.

The bill — which requires the Justice Department to release its full cache of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell — cleared both chambers of Congress on Tuesday with overwhelming bipartisan support. It now heads to President Donald Trump, who has signaled he intends to sign it.

The legislation orders the release of investigative files, internal communications, correspondence with other agencies, and materials connected to Epstein’s network of co-conspirators. Under the bill, Bondi has 30 days from enactment to make those documents public.

But tucked inside the bill is language that allows the attorney general to redact certain information, including any material that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.” The clause is standard in many transparency laws, yet its presence in this case — involving one of the most politically sensitive criminal networks in recent memory — has raised questions about how narrowly or expansively Bondi may interpret it.

Bondi would have wide discretion to determine what constitutes an active or ongoing investigation. Critics worry that the exemption could be used to shield details that extend beyond legitimate investigative needs.

Some lawmakers who supported the bill say the redaction provision is necessary to protect victims, maintain due process, and avoid undermining unrelated prosecutions. Others argue the Justice Department has a long history of classifying even dormant inquiries as “active,” allowing disclosures to be delayed indefinitely.

The concern is amplified by the sheer volume of unanswered questions surrounding the Epstein case. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was later convicted of sex trafficking and conspiracy offenses. But the broader network of financiers, politicians, celebrities, intelligence contacts, and institutional enablers who populated Epstein’s orbit has never been fully explained.

Senators across the political spectrum echoed that sentiment during Tuesday’s vote, with several urging Bondi to apply the redaction authority sparingly and with a high level of public accountability.

The Justice Department has not commented on how it plans to implement the release or what categories of information it may shield. Bondi has also not addressed the provision directly, though aides say the department will follow the letter of the law.

Once Trump signs the bill, the countdown begins. For the first time, the government will be legally required to open the files of one of the most notorious criminal cases of the century — and the nation will learn how much of Epstein’s world the public will finally be allowed to see.