Judge denies lawmaker request for 'independent monitor' to oversee Epstein files release

A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the Justice Department's disclosure of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, while conceding the lawmakers have raised "legitimate concerns" about the department's compliance with the law.

In a 7-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote that his supervision of the criminal case against Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell doesn't grant him "any charter to supervise" whether the Justice Department meets its legal obligation to disclose the files.