What is the legal basis for releasing the someone's private files and communications? If they can do it to Epstein, they can do it to you, to the Washington Post journalist, to former President Clinton, etc.

Is the scope at least limited somehow? Generally I favor transparency, but of course probably the most important parts are withheld.

> What is the legal basis for releasing the someone's private files and communications?

An act of congress, for one.

Also, AFAIK, federal privacy generally ends at death, as does criminal liability; so releasing government files from a federal investigation after death of the subject is generally within the realm of acceptable conduct.

I believe a literal Act of Congress…

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4405...

He was a pedophile sex trafficker. Epstein and his clients deserve zero privacy.

Given what we've seen so far, there's probably some very interesting stuff in Clinton's private files and communications. Not to mention the stuff in current president Trump's. Some random journalist, probably not. Unless it's a very wealthy and/or connected journalist like David Brooks...

It was passed into law by congress and signed by the president:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epstein_Files_Transparency_Act

I'd assume it was the nature of the case, and that discovery was done with him being dead.