The Department of Justice announced Friday that it would not release the full set of unclassified Jeffrey Epstein documents, instead sending a partial batch, sparking criticism from lawmakers.
DOJ’s Explanation
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Department of Justice (DOJ) would not be releasing the full Epstein files on Friday as required under new legislation, instead sending over a partial batch. Blanche told Fox News that the Justice Department would release “several hundred thousand” documents on Friday, “and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.”
He explained that the delay was due to the need to redact any names or identifying information about witnesses. Blanche added, “So today is the 30 days when I expect that we’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today. And those documents will come in in all different forms, photographs and other materials associated with, with all of the investigations into, into Mr. Epstein.”
Blanche also emphasized the protection of victims: “What we’re doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story, to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected. And so I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks.”
Congressional Reaction
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said not releasing the required files in full amounts to breaking the law. In a statement on Friday, Schumer said, “The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be – the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law. This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth.”
Schumer added that Senate Democrats were working closely with attorneys for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and with outside legal experts to assess what documents are being withheld and what is being covered up by Pam Bondi. He concluded, “We will not stop until the whole truth comes out.”
Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrats on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, said they were “now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of a bipartisan duo that pushed to force a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, posted a screenshot of the bill on X with the language of the 30-day deadline highlighted. On Thursday, he said there was no ambiguity with the law and what the law requires to be released. Massie stated, “Trump has agreed to comply with this law and Bondi has to comply with it, and there will be penalties if she does not.” He later added, “This is a very unique situation. … This is a case where the president who appointed the attorney general and for whom the attorney general works has signed the law and the ink is not even dry yet on his signature on this law. There’s nothing subject to interpretation.”
Legal Framework
The bill that compels the DOJ to turn over the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein received near-unanimous support in Congress and was signed into law after President Trump reversed his earlier stance opposing their release. The legislation allows for redactions related to victims and for the DOJ to withhold some information about the investigation, but it does not provide a rolling deadline to turn over the documents.
Under the law, the DOJ has 15 days to turn over its rationale for any documents withheld. The law also gave the department 30 days to publicly share the documents.
Statements from Officials
The DOJ disputed that it had not complied with the law, referring to the 30-day timeframe as an “initial deadline.” In a post on X, the department’s press office wrote, “The DOJ is releasing a massive tranche of new documents that the Biden and Obama administrations refused to release. The story here: the Trump administration is providing levels of transparency that prior administrations never even contemplated.”
The press office added, “The initial deadline is being met as we work diligently to protect victims.”
Next Steps
The DOJ maintains that it is meeting the initial deadline while continuing to work on the release of additional documents. Lawmakers have called for a full audit and for the DOJ to provide a detailed schedule for the remaining files.
Key Takeaways
- DOJ is releasing several hundred thousand documents today and plans more over the next weeks.
- Lawmakers argue the DOJ is violating the 30-day deadline set by the new law.
- The DOJ claims it is protecting victims and meeting an initial deadline.
The debate over the release of the Epstein files continues as congressional leaders push for full transparency while the DOJ cites redaction and victim protection as reasons for its pace.
