.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One en route from Scotland, Britain, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 29, 2025. REUTERS Evelyn Hockstein

On November 19, President Donald Trump signed into law the Epstein Files Transparency Act of 2025 — ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But not all legal experts are impressed.

In an article published on November 26, Salon's Russell Payne talks to legal experts who are skeptical that real transparency on Epstein's crimes will come from Trump signing the bill into law.

One of them is Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House lawyer who is now a major critic of the president.

Cobb told Salon, "It's hard for me to understand why people don't recognize this as the total scam it is. Trump never wanted any of these documents released, and they will not release them — at least ones that open doors that could lead back to Trump."

Cobb expects a "few innocuous productions of things that everybody already knows, but no real meaty documents unless and until forced by a court."

"Certainly, neither the House or the Senate will represent the compelling interests of the people and do so," Cobb told Salon.

University of Georgia law professor Caren Morrison is skeptical as well, telling Salon, "It's kind of unclear — what could they be coming up with?"

According to Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman, the group plans to "continue to use the courts to shine a light on what the administration is doing."

Perryman told Salon, "This is the first federal court ruling about the Trump-Vance administration's cover up in handling the Epstein files, and the court acknowledged what we have long known: the Trump-Vance administration has been stonewalling in providing the public with information about how it is handling the Epstein files, including communications between Donald Trump and Epstein, as well as communications between federal agencies."

Read Russell Payne's full article for Salon at this link.